Glass Bottomed Chinese Bridge Cracks Days After Opening

A week or so back we talked a bit about a new bridge that opened in China that had a glass bottom. Some may have wondered at the safety factor that goes along with a Chinese engineered glass panel standing between the person walking across the bridge and a 600 foot plummet to certain death.

As it turns out those glass panels might not have been as strong as the designers of the bridge hoped. Reports indicate that one of the panels on the bridge cracked while people were walking across it. Interestingly the new reports claim that the bridge is 3,540 feet above the ground, which is significantly higher than the original reports led us to believe.

My money says that the 3,540-feet mark is the elevation of the bridge above sea level, so take that number with a grain of salt. Reports on Weibo claim that people on the bridge started screaming when the panel cracked in fear that the bridge was unsafe.

One visitor at the bridge when the panel cracked says that near the end of the bridge he heard a "sudden bang" and "felt a shake under my feet." The tourist says that he then started pushing people to leave in terror.

Management at the attraction says that the crack was caused by a sharp object falling onto the glass and that visitors were in no danger, the bridge panels use multiple layers of glass. The bridge has been closed for repairs.

SOURCE: Independent