Indonesia: 9 dead, 30 injured near Bali bridge collapse

By Ainur Rohmah

TUBAN, Indonesia (AA) – At least eight people were killed and dozens injured after a bridge for pedestrians and motorcyclists collapsed near the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Sunday.

National Disaster Management Agency Spokeperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told Anadolu Agency the bridge connecting the islands of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan gave way at 6.30 p.m. (1130GMT) while a large number of people were crossing.

"Eight people died and 30 were injured," he said.

He added that search efforts were suspended at 9 p.m. due to the dark conditions and that there were no reports from local people of missing family members.

"Based on the report, all the victims were local people. No foreigners," said Nugroho.

The collapse occurred during the passage of residents who were taking part in a religious ceremony.

"Before the collapse, the bridge had been swaying. Some bikers and people fell into the sea," Nugroho added.

"Allegedly, the bridge collapsed because of being overloaded. In addition, the bridge had also been damaged several times and had been repaired."

Locals near the site had responded by rushing to save the victims.

Search and rescue agency personnel deployed to the area have yet to reach the site due to the remote location of the islands.

The collapse of bridges -- which are extensively used to connect Indonesia’s more than 17,000 islands -- is not a rare occurrence in the archipelago due to lack of regular maintenance.