24 Fall Into River at Chinese Tourist Town

May 3, 2013

The final day of a Chinese holiday marked terror for more than 20 people who fell into a river when a suspension bridge tilted in a tourist town. All of them survived.

About 40 tourists were returning from a bonfire party in Fenghuang in central Hunan province on Wednesday evening when a loaded pile broke, causing the bridge floor to tilt, according to the Fenghuang county government.

It said in a statement Thursday that 24 people plunged into the water below.

The official Xinhua News Agency quoted the county’s deputy head Cai Long as saying 15 people managed to climb onto the river bank and the others were rescued.

Wednesday was the end of China’s three-day May Day holiday. The tourists’ nationalities weren’t specified, but they are most likely Chinese.