Hardly two-and-a-half months after the inauguration of a floating bridge at Papanasam Beach, near Varkala, in Thiruvananthapuram, a portion of it collapsed on Saturday. At least 15 people, including women and children, were injured in the accident, the police said. Of the injured, the condition of two is said to be critical as per initial reports, said the police.
According to the police, the handrail of the bridge broke in the strong waves around 5.30 p.m. As the waves pounded the bridge, the people on it fell into the sea. Though all the people had worn life jackets, they could not swim to safety due to the turbulent sea. Lifeguards and security personnel rescued all and rushed them to the taluk hospital in Varkala and the nearby private hospitals.
In Chavakkad
Though a good number of them sustained only minor injuries, the condition of two is said to be serious. This is the second incident related to a floating bridge in the State. Earlier, there were reports that the floating bridge on the Chavakkad beach in Thrissur had collapsed last year hardly a month after it was thrown open to the public. However, Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas had clarified that the bridge was dismantled by the operators to avoid accidents in the event of a rough sea.
Safety concerns
With the latest incident, the safety of floating bridges during high tides and rough sea has emerged as a matter of concern. Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, who visited the spot, urged the State not to compromise on the safety of people in the name of adventure tourism. Adequate safety measures should be ensured before opening such ventures to the public, he said. Mr. Riyas has asked the Tourism Director to immediately submit a report on the accident.
100 visitors at a time
The floating bridge on Papanasam Beach is the seventh such in the State to be set up by the Tourism department in association with the District Tourism Promotion Council and the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society. The bridge is 100 metres long and is three metre wide with pillars on both sides. At the end of the bridge, there is a 11-metre-long and 7-metre-wide platform for visitors to enjoy the scenery. Around 100 visitors are allowed to enter the floating bridge at a time. The entry is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
