Famous China Glass Bridge Collapses, Disaster Video: Fact Check

Story:

Famous Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge in China Collapses – Video

Other Versions

1. Watch the China glass bridge break

2. China Glass Bridge Fell Down

3. China Zhang Jia Jie (Glass Bridge) break falling down disaster

Fact Check:

Warning: Graphic video in this article. Viewer discretion advised.

Certain stories and videos that went viral on social media sites like Facebook and WhatsApp purport to show that the famous Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge in China has broken, collapsed and caused a disaster killing many people. While the video is real, it actually shows a bridge that collapsed in Vietnam; not the Glass Bridge in China.

Bridge Collapse in Vietnam

The video in question actually shows the collapse of a suspension bridge in Son Binh Commune during the funeral procession of a senior official in Lai Chau Province, Vietnam. Like claimed in the stories, it is not the disaster caused due to collapse of the famous Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge in China. As reported by New York Daily News website nydailynews.com back on 25 Feb. 2014, nine people died in the unfortunate incident, while most of others were severely injured. The structure fell when a group of about 50 people were walking onto the span in the funeral procession. The coffin of the village official, which appears like a fallen bridge section, was thrown into the shallow stream. Officials described it as a horrible scene, as people were screaming and crying.

Not Video of Glass Bridge Collapses in China

The Glass Bridge referred in the story lies above the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, in the central Hunan province of China and happens to be the world’s longest and highest glass bottom bridge. It was opened for visitors on 20th August 2016 for few weeks before being shut down due to overload of visitors (see the pictures below). The scare of Glass Bridge collapse is perhaps fabricated from an old incident in October 2015 when another newly opened glass walkway built along Yuntai Mountain Scenic Park in Henan Province of China cracked. The walkway bridge was made of three planes of tempered glass, and was closed for repairs after the top pane of glass cracked when a sharp object fell on it.