The glass bridge was closed to the public after cracks (in circle) developed on the floor. Photos: China.com.cn, Weibo
EJ InsightToday, 13:29
Delight turned into pure terror for a group of tourists crossing the new transparent walkway on Yuntai Mountain in Henan province when the glass floor cracked under their feet.
The bridge, suspended 1,000 meters above the ground, has drawn a lot of sightseerssince it opened on Sept. 30, as it offers breathtaking views of surrounding villages and forests.
But the experience of some of those who spanned it on Tuesday was far from exhilarating.
“I just experienced a historic moment — the walkway on Yuntai Mountain cracked,” Apple Daily quoted one of the tourists as saying on his Weibo account.
“When I was near the end, I heard a loud crack and I felt the glass shook under my feet. When I looked down, I saw the glass right under my feet crack … I don’t know why it cracked, but everyone screamed at that moment.
“‘It really cracked,’ I yelled, then I pushed the people in front of me and ran.”
A spokesperson for the local tourism bureau said the crack occurred after a tourist dropped a stainless steel mug on the walkway.
Only one of the three layers of glass on the walkway broke, so the tourists were not in any danger, the spokesperson said.
The Yuntai Mountain walkway, a horseshoe-shaped glass bridge suspended by the cliff, has been classified as a “5A-grade” tourist attraction.
More than 5 million yuan (US$786,600) was spent on its construction.
The walkway is said to be able to carry up to 800 kilograms of weight per square meter.
It was ordered closed to the public after the incident.
Some people suspect it was another one of those jerry-built projects across the country as the accident happened only two weeks after it opened.
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