Helsinki: On Thursday, about 27 young people—mostly children—were hurt in Finland when they fell five metres onto a road following the collapse of a temporary footbridge close to a construction site.
The incident happened in Espoo, close to the capital Helsinki, at around 9:20 am (0620 GMT), when wooden planks gave way and the group fell onto the carriageway of a narrow side road.
According to city officials, the majority of those hurt were eighth-graders, who were on a field trip to an art museum, and were either 14 or 15 years old. One of those hurt was their teacher.
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According to Kalle Ristola, fire chief at Western Uusimaa Rescue Department, "We did not have to rescue anyone from immediate danger."
Living on the fifth floor of a building close to the accident scene, Jaakko Markkula told AFP, "I saw the bridge was no longer up and many people (were) on the ground."
In less than five minutes, the first of the 14 ambulances sent reached the scene.
24 patients were transported to various hospitals in the Helsinki area. The majority of the patients had limb fractures, said Helsinki's hospital service HUS, adding that none of the injuries were life-threatening.
HUS medical director Eero Hirvensalo told reporters, "There are some head injuries involved, but there has been no indication of any risk of paralysis."
The footbridge's sides were unharmed, but there was a gaping hole across half of it, with a jumbled pile of wooden planks at one end, according to an AFP reporter who was on the scene.
Soon after the collision, rescue personnel could be seen tending to numerous victims who were lying on the road. According to the Espoo city authorities, the cause of the collapse has not been determined but is still being looked into.
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Detective Inspector Jyrki Kallio of the Western Uusimaa Police Department said they were investigating a possible injury and danger-causing crime. The injured were students from the Kalasatama comprehensive school in the city, according to Satu Jarvenkallas, head of the Helsinki city education department, who spoke to AFP.
She explained, "They were on a typical field trip to the Emma Art Museum. She continued, "A crisis team has been established at the school."
The most recent inspection of the building, according to the city of Espoo, was on May 5. The bridge's builder, Jarno Tuuri, told the Iltalehti daily that during weekly inspections, "nothing out of the ordinary was observed."
"Of course, the situation is dire. We are currently inspecting every structure and adding the required reinforcements, the man said.We're helping the police in any way we can, he continued.
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Jukka Makela, the mayor of Espoo, expressed his "regrets," adding, "This should not have happened. News of great shock from Espoo. We extend our support to the accident victims' families. Our thoughts are with you, the prime minister Sanna Marin wrote on Twitter.