Chinese officials have blamed strong winds for shattering a 100-metre-high glass bridge near Longjing, leaving a tourist stranded.
If you’re scared of heights, this would probably be your worst nightmare.
Strong winds have been blamed for leaving a tourism clinging on for dear life on the mental railings of a bridge made of glass.
The glass bridge, that stands 100-metre-high in the Piyan Mountain, shattered underneath the feet of a man who braved the 150km per hour wind to face his fears.
We’re assuming he got more thrills than he was originally expecting.
So, what happened?
A statement posted to Longjing City’s official Weibo account said the Piyan Mountain tourism area, in the country’s north-east, had experienced extreme weather on Friday, damaging several panes of the glass deck.
“Our staff rushed to the scene with emergency equipment and successfully transferred the trapped person to safety. The incident caused no casualties,” it said.
According to reports, the trapped person was taken to the hospital for observation. He received psychological counselling and was eventually discharged as his mental and physical condition were stable.
The post said the Piyan Mountain tourist area had been closed and authorities were investigating whether other amusements at the park presented safety hazards.
Glass bridges – yay or absolutely not?
According to Earth magazine published by the Geological Museum of China, at least 60 glass-bottomed bridges had been or were being built across the country as of late 2016.
In mountainous provinces like Jiangxi, Hunan and Yunnan, glass bridges are particularly common. The most famous is at Zhangjiajie, a tourist destination in Hunan, where a 430-meter-long, six-meter-wide bridge hangs between two steep cliffs 300 meters above the ground.
“So many glass deck bridges have been built in recent years and are very popular with tourists. But how can we ensure their safety?” said a netizen surnamed Li in the statement, who is identified as a doctor in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
Some local governments have already put in place guidelines to forestall the potential hazards. North China’s Hebei Province released in 2018 technical standards for glass bridges and walkways at scenic areas, providing specific guidelines for materials, location, design, construction as well as the use of such bridges and walkways.
For example, glass bridges should not be built in areas with high seismic activity and must be closed during bad weather and natural disasters, and the number of pedestrians on such bridges and walkways will be limited to no more than three per square meter, according to the guidelines.
Whether it’s windy or not, it’s a gigantic nope from me.
Would you brave the glass bridge? Let us know! editor@karryon.com
