Tourist plunges 30ft to death as glass-bottomed walkway shatters beneath them

28 October 2023 , 16:24

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A tourist died after the Geong Bridge broke (Image: Facebook/Hana Meika RitkaDiana)

A tourist has died and three others have been injured after a glass-bottomed bridge shattered beneath them at a popular beauty spot in Indonesia.

The victim fell to their death at The Geong tourist site within the Limpakuwus Pine Forest, located in the Banyumas Regency of Central Java, on Wednesday. One of the workers at the site, named by local media as Sunarto, reported hearing the 10-metre-high glass bridge breaking at approximately 10am.

Banyumas City Police chief Sr. Comr. Edy Suranta Sitepu confirmed a police investigation has been launched following the incident. He said two of the victims fell to the ground while two others clung to the bridge's frame. One of the people who fell to the ground was pronounced dead shortly after the fall, while the other suffered minor injuries.

The tragedy happened on Wednesday (Facebook/Hana Meika RitkaDiana)

Eko Purnomo, chairman of the Limpakuwus Pine Forest Cooperative, had previously reached out to The Geong's manager for a safety evaluation after the Idul Fitri holiday in April, when the tourist attraction officially began operations. The Geong and the Limpakuwus Pine Forest share the same land, although they operate under different management, according to The Jakarta Post.

He said there had been complaints through social media saying that the number of tourists on the bridge "exceeded acceptable limits" - but claimed that there bridge's manager did not attend a meeting scheduled to discuss the issues and sent a representative, but there was "no discussion". Purnomo has agreed to close the forest while local police investigate the incident.

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Last summer, nine people died after the train they were riding smashed into an amusement park ride. The tragedy took place when the carriage thundered over a gateless railway crossing this morning in Indonesia's Banten state, west of Jakarta.

The open-top minibus - known locally as an odong-odong - is painted bright colours and acts as a playground for children in lower-income areas. Local media reported say the bus was carrying 20 passengers at the time of the collision.

Serang Traffic Police Chief Tiwi Afrina said: "[The odong-odong] was traveling from Walantata towards Kragilan and it was driving through a gate-less railway crossing. Then the accident happened between the train and the odong-odong. Nine people were killed."

Chiara Fiorillo