VILLAVICENCIO, COLOMBIA — A rickety suspension bridge at a nature reserve near Villavicencio in Colombia collapsed while more than two dozen people were crossing on Monday.
Villavicencio is south-east of the capital, Bogota.
Hilton Gutierrez of the mayor's office in Villavicencio said that the collapse was due to excess weight, as roughly 30 people were on the bridge when a rope snapped, causing the bridge to give way to one side, according to the BBC.
The bridge hangs about 10 meters high.
Several people were able to hang onto the side of, but at least seven people, including three children, 9news reported.
President of the Meeting for Communal Action on the Carmen Bridge, Miguel Antonio Caro, said on peak weekends, as many as 13,000 people would walk across the unmonitored bridge in the forest reserve in El Carmen, at a cost of less than US$1, 9news reported.
As Jan. 9 was public holiday, the area was a busy attraction, with many drawn to view the local waterfall, CNN reported.
Authorities are currently investigating the incident and are looking to charge parties responsible for the poor maintenance of the bridge. Several of the surviving victims reportedly remain in critical condition.
