32 Students hurt as hanging bridge snaps in Batangas

Thirty-two girl scouts from a local school were injured when a hanging bridge they were crossing snapped in San Juan, Batangas, Friday, police said.

Senior Supt. Edmund Zaide, Batangas police director, said students from Batangas Eastern Academy were on their way to a mountain trek when the mishap occurred.

He said the girls were walking on the 15-meter hanging bridge in Barangay Mabalany when it broke off around 9:30 a.m.

Zaide said the ageing suspension bridge made from cable wire and wood could not hold the weight of the students who crossed it all at the same time.

The students, who plunged into the ravine bellow the bridge, survived.

He said residents and stall owners at the San Juan Public Market rushed to the area and helped the victims after they heard a loud thud.

“It was really fortunate that none of the students was killed. They only suffered bruises on their bodies," Zaide said.

He said the students were brought to San Juan District Hospital, Duque General Hospital and Lipa Medix Hospital for treatment.