Two Austrian tourists were killed on the Indonesian island of Flores when a suspension bridge near a popular waterfall suddenly collapsed. The couple, who had posed laughing on the bridge for a holiday photo just before the tragedy, fell 20 meters. They died instantly.
Journalist at HLN
Source: Belga
LOOK. This is the place where the accident happened
Rescue workers recovered the bodies of the 55-year-old man and the 57-year-old woman from the stream under the bridge on Sunday, the local emergency services official said.
The bridge is located in the jungle surrounding the Cunca Wulang Waterfall. To reach it, visitors must undertake a 30-minute nature walk passing the 50-metre-long suspension bridge.
HLN reader saw how bad the bridge was
Archive images from our system show the bridge still in relatively good condition. An HLN reader whose name is known to the editors sends us some striking photos via 4040, which paint a completely different picture.
“We visited the waterfalls last year in October,” he said. “We then determined that this suspension bridge was not in a good position.” Very little remained of the rope structure on the sides. The wood structure was also clearly in poor condition.
Tour guide heard wood breaking
The tour guide of the two Austrian tourists told news website ‘Hey Bali News’ that the bridge collapsed very suddenly. “They walked next to each other and still smiled at the camera,” says the man. “Suddenly I heard a very loud sound of breaking wood, like a large branch falling.” The bridge collapsed in a few seconds and the two tourists fell about 20 meters.
Fatal accidents in remote tourist nature destinations are not rare in Indonesia. Difficult terrain, partly outdated infrastructure and long rescue routes often make rescue operations in the island state difficult.
