More than half of the people injured when a temporary pedestrian bridge collapsed in Espoo on Thursday morning have since been discharged from hospital, the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) said on Friday afternoon.
The 24 victims — most of whom were 8th graders from Helsinki on a field trip to an art museum — fell about five metres after the plywood-based bridge gave way at around 9.30am on Thursday. Western Uusimaa police said that about 45 people were on the bridge at the time, including a group of about 40 students.
HUS said on Friday that 14 patients had been sent home, while 10 remained in hospital care — with seven having suffered injuries that required surgical procedures.
Two others are awaiting surgery.
HUS added that none of the injuries sustained were particularly serious, but patients are being kept in for further examinations, procedures and monitoring.
Investigations ongoing
The Safety Investigation Authority (Otkes) said on Friday that a preliminary assessment has suggested that the collapse was caused by damaged or worn cross beams.
Meanwhile, the Western Uusimaa police department will begin interviewing victims, eyewitnesses and other persons of interest in the coming days.
Detective Inspector Matti Högman, who is leading the investigation, said that the interviews will take several weeks, noting that police will want to hear from all 40 pupils who were on the bridge at the time.
"The police will always talk to minors in the presence of a guardian. The police will start contacting the families from the beginning of next week, and the idea is to arrange a time for a hearing with everyone in the coming weeks," Högman said in a press release.
Police also conducted an initial investigation at the scene of the incident on Thursday, with technical examinations continuing into Friday.
The bridge collapse is being investigated by police as a suspected case of negligent injury as well as of causing serious danger to the life or health of another person through recklessness or carelessness.
"As noted, the preliminary investigation is still in its early stages. The technical investigation is ongoing, and in addition to preparing for the hearings, we will start today by reviewing the video footage from the scene," Högman added.