- Visitors had reportedly expressed concerns about the bridge’s safety since April
A tourist has died and three left injured after a glass walkway shattered at a popular beauty spot in Indonesia.
The tragedy struck while 11 tourists from Cilacep, Central Java, were crossing the Geong bridge around 10am on Wednesday, some 30ft (10m) off the forest floor.
Two fell through the glass into the Limpakuwus Pine Forest below, where one was later declared dead. The other sustained minor injuries.
Two more were thrown by the sudden collapse and managed to cling on to the frame, shown in video footage being helped off the bridge by brave onlookers.
Police are now investigating the incident and have set up a crime scene amid claims the attraction’s management overlooked complaints about the bridge’s safety.
People rushed to pull up one tourist who appeared to have fallen through the shattered glass
Video shot nearby shows a tourist struggling to climb back up immediately after the glass walkway shattered earlier this week.
The camera refocuses to show the body of another unnamed tourist below, having fallen through the glass.
Above, onlookers rush to help the trapped tourist before helping them off the bridge.
Out of view, ten of the tourists made a lucky escape with only three sustaining minor injuries.
Ekop Purnomo, chairman of the Limpakuwus Pine Forest Cooperative, was revealed to have contacted The Geong’s manager in April when the bridge opened, seeking a safety evaluation.
He said he approached The Geong’s manager after receiving complaints on social media, raising concerns about how safe the bridge would be.
Purnomo claimed as many as five per cent of visitors shared complaints online.
He added that the manager of the bridge chose not to attend the meeting to review standards, instead sending a representative.
‘There was no discussion. We only left a message,’ he said on Wednesday.
Purnomo agreed to close the forest – which is managed separately from the bridge – at the request of local police while the investigation continues.
Suranta Sitepu confirmed the casualties on Wednesday.
Brave onlookers help a stranded tourist to safety after the Geong bridge in Indonesia shattered
Officers from the Central Java Forensic Laboratory investigate the broken bridge in the Limpakuwus Pine Forest
In 2021, a tourist was left clinging on for dear life after the glass panels of a 330-ft high bridge in China were damaged in strong winds.
The glass-bottomed bridge is located at a resort built into the Piyan Mountain in the Chinese city of Longjing.
A terrifying image purportedly showed a man clinging onto the railing after winds of up to 90mph blew away some of the glass panels on Friday.
According to a report in the Straits Times, the man was stuck on the bridge for a brief period.
He crawled to safety, guided by firefighters, police, and forestry and tourism workers.
