Man Trapped on Bridge After Glass Deck Blown Off By Strong Wind

A tourist in China was temporarily stranded on a glass-bottomed bridge after hurricane-level winds shattered parts of the walkway, forcing him to cling to a railing.

The glass bridge at Piyan Mountain, a scenic area in the northeastern province of Jilin, was hit by what authorities called record-breaking winds on Friday.

In a photo shared by state media, a man on the bridge was seen holding on to the railing, with several pieces of glass deck missing underneath. He later managed to crawl back to safety, according to a report by state news agency Xinhua.

The local government said in an online statement on Friday that the bridge was damaged by winds up to 73 to 92 miles per hour, or about the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane under the Saffir-Simpson scale. The wind speed was a historical high for the area, the statement says.

The stranded tourist was later sent to hospital for a check-up, according to the government. He was in a stable condition.

Scenic sites across China have built hundreds of such glass-deck bridges and promenades in recent years, trying to attract thrill-seeking tourists. 

Some bridges even come with special visual effects: fake cracks would appear on the deck when tourists step on it.

The bridge in Jilin, 300 meters long and 2.5 meters in width, was built in 2018. Visitors need to pay 100 Chinese yuan ($16) to cross it, according to the WeChat page of the Piyan Mountain attraction.

In promotional posts, the bridge was hailed as a “perfect combination of nature’s fine craftsmanship and human’s intelligence,” which could give tourists a “mind-shocking experience.”

Glass structures have led to a series of safety accidents in China. Last year, one person died and several others were injured as they slid down a glass slide on a mountain in the northeastern province of Liaoning.

Some local governments have stopped approving new glass-deck bridges and ordered operators of tourist spots to inspect the existing attractions for safety hazards.

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Correction: A previous version of this story featured a photo of a different bridge from the one that was recently damaged. We regret the error.