Dignitaries Plummet Into Gully As Reopened Footbridge Collapses
This is the moment a Mexican mayor and around 20 other people suddenly plummet into a gully after the suspension bridge collapsed during its reopening.
Jose Luis Uriostegui Salgado, mayor of the city of Cuernavaca in the Mexican state of Morelos, was with his wife and various officials at the inauguration of the suspended footbridge over a scenic stream.
The Paseo Ribereno bridge was reopened after being badly damaged by an earthquake in 2017.
Mayor Uriostegui Salgado and other city officials had just reopened the footbridge in a ribbon-cutting event and were posing for photographers when the rebuilt structure collapsed.
In the footage, a man in a black shirt and cap is seen jumping twice before the bridge suddenly collapses. He then manages to hold on to the chains and lower himself to the ground to help an injured woman in the gully.
Meanwhile, the mayor and his wife, who were at the front of the procession, also plummeted into the gully along with Luz Maria Zagal Guzman, official for the National System for Integral Family Development.
The mayor only suffered minor injuries in the incident, however his wife was one of two people who suffered open fractures, according to local media.
After the bridge collapse, paramedics arrived on the scene along with representatives of the Mexican Army and Civil Protection.
The local authorities confirmed that seven people were taken to various medical centres for their injuries, including the mayor’s wife.
An investigation into the incident has been opened.