Suspension Bridge Snaps, Sending Hikers Plummeting Into River

If China's cracked glass walkway didn't convince you to keep two feet firmly planted on the ground, maybe this video of a collapsing New Zealand suspension bridge will.

A group of French hikers is lucky to be alive after the large footbridge they were crossing suddenly fell out from beneath them. 

Adrien Whistle and three friends were crossing the bridge near Lake Waikaremoana, on New Zealand's North Island, last month when a cable supporting the bridge snapped . 

Three of the tourists plummeted 26 feet into the river below, while the fourth clung to the mangled bridge .

All four walked away from the ordeal.

"Fortunately, other than some scratches and a little bit of bruising, they are not seriously injured ," Department of Conservation operations manager Mike Slater told the New Zealand Herald. "That's a very fortunate outcome."

The accident occurred in early September, and Whistle posted video of the collapse on Monday. Along with the footage, two of the hikers took to a French travel blog to write about the experience . 

"When we get halfway across we hear a muffled sound and before having time to do anything I was thrown into the emptiness, accepting the likelihood I would die,” Effie-Belle wrote on  Rolandades Internationales.

Ruth Dyson, the Labour Party's spokeswoman for conservation, said it was a "huge relief " that the tourists landed in water and weren't seriously hurt.

"This is good luck, not good management ," Dyson told the Herald. "Our reputation cannot rely on luck. The cable failure is not only extremely concerning, it leaves New Zealand vulnerable to harmful tourism reaction. This must be sorted immediately."

An investigation found that the failure was due to a rare manufacturing defect in a link of the cable. The bridge, designed to carry a maximum of 10 people , remains closed. 

Watch the full video of the collapse below:

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