At least 24 people, including children on a class trip, were injured when a temporary pedestrian bridge collapsed in Espoo on Thursday morning.
The victims fell five metres as the plywood-based bridge gave way at around 9.30am, according to Western Uusimaa police.
The bridge was located on Itätuulenkuja in Espoo's Tapiola district. The Länsi-Uusimaa Rescue Department said victims had sustained injuries of varying degrees, but none of them were life-threatening.
Principal Kati Pennanen confirmed that the group involved in the accident is from Kalasatama primary school in Helsinki, which has set up a crisis number for the guardians of its eighth grade students.
Workers from a neighbouring construction site were the first on the scene.
HUS is treating the bridge victims at Meilahti Bridge Hospital, the New Childrens' hospital as well as at hospitals in Peijas (Vantaa) and Jorvi (Espoo).
Speaking to the press on Thursday, HUS said the youths admitted were young teenagers, born in 2008. HUS is also treating one adult, a teacher.
In total, there were 45 people on the bridge when it collapsed, according to trauma specialist Eero Hirvensalo.
He added that most of the teens' injuries were ankle, thigh, wrist and limb fractures, while there were also a number of head and spinal injuries that doctors were still investigating.
Some of these injuries require surgery, according to Hirvensalo, who said doctors had seen no patients with signs of paralysis. He said many of the admitted pupils would be discharged later on Thursday.
The police said they are looking into the cause of the collapse of the temporary structure, which was commissioned by the municipality of Espoo as building work continued in the vicinity.
Police are investigating the accident, considering whether offences related to bodily harm and endangerment may have occurred.
The Safety Investigation Authority (Otkes) meanwhile said it is also investigating the accident site and working together with other authorities.
Espoo mayor apologises
Soon after the collapse, Espoo mayor Jukka Mäkelä issued an apology.
"On behalf of the city, I would like to convey my apologies to all those injured, and my heartfelt hope that we'll avoid the most serious kind of injuries. I also want to send strength to the families of those injured," he said.
Mäkelä said the city had instructed staff to inspect all similar structures.
The temporary pedestrian bridge, built by Renta Telineet Oy for the city of Espoo, had been in use for around two years as a crossing bridge bypassing a construction site.
The firm's CEO, Jarno Tuuri, said the collapse was serious.
"We have conducted weekly inspections of the bridge as an additional service, and we have not noticed any signs indicating that it could collapse," he explained.
Tuuri, who said he didn't want to speculate on the reason for the collapse, said the bridge was most recently inspected last Friday.
"We have not received any complaints that the bridge was swaying, wobbling or unstable," he added.
President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin expressed their shock over the accident.
"Shocking news regarding the Tapiola accident. Support and help are crucial at this moment," Niinistö tweeted.
Marin, also taking to Twitter, said she was sending strength to those injured in the accident as well as their loved ones.
"You are in our thoughts," she wrote.
Local residents: "Bridge dangerous"
The daily Helsingin Sanomat reported that local residents described the collapsed bridge as having been in a dangerous and fragile condition for a long time.
Those contacting the paper said that a large number of people have been crossing the bridge every day, and that it has been swaying suspiciously.
One reader who contacted the paper's editorial office told HS that there have been "soft spots" on the bridge. "The bridge has had thin wooden boards, and they've had soft spots that felt like they're were going to give out when you stepped on them."
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