By Our Reporter
Shillong: As many as 39 students and two American missionaries were injured when a hanging bridge at Chithocheng over Didram river in East Garo Hills collapsed on Sunday morning. The bridge was constructed last year.
According to police, the incident took place when a group of 70 people, mostly students, were passing through the bridge and it suddenly collapsed. The bridge could bear the weight of only 30 people.
The injured were admitted in three hospitals in Goalpara in Assam. Those who sustained minor injuries were administered herbal medicines, police added.
The missionaries couple, who were injured in the incident, have been identified as Marisa Staten and Verbor Staten. While Marisa sustained serious injuries on the back, her husband received minor injuries.
The students were from the Riverside Adventist Academy school and the missionaries, who were supporting the school were camping in the area.
Principal of the school, Malaki Rimsu, informed over phone that following the completion of the SSLC examination on Friday, the students wanted to bid farewell to the hostellers on Sunday.
Since there were many students, the hanging bridge collapsed due to the additional weight, Rimsu added.
The East Garo Hills district administration has deputed a senior official to assess the situation and also to visit the hospitals in Goalpara where the injured students are undergoing treatment.
Local legislator John Manner Marak, who is camping in Shillong, said that he would rush to the spot on Monday morning to assess the situation.
The legislator also recollected that in a similar incident of a bridge collapse in Nepal last year, a West Garo Hills student, Hamida Momin was swept sway by strong current of the Trisuli river near Kathmandu.