Twenty children were injured when one of the slings of an emergency bridge broke during a demonstration in Khuan Don district of Satun on Saturday
An emergency bridge-laying truck, typically used to quickly deploy a suspension bridge after a natural disaster, was brought to the Khuan Don tambon headquarters as an entertainment feature for youngsters on National Children’s Day.
During the demonstration, in which the operator raised the bridge vertically, the suspension slings unexpectedly snapped, causing about 35 children sitting on the structure to fall two to three metres to the ground below.
Twenty children were injured, with 15 taken to nearby hospitals by rescue workers. Many sustained back injuries, according to reports.
Ambulances are dispatched to transport injured children to hospitals in Satun.
Wanida Salae, one of the parents at the scene, described the incident as taking place very quickly and unexpectedly.
The cause of the incident is under investigation by authorities.
A suspension sling snapped during the demonstration of an emergency bridge-laying truck in tambon Khuan Don of Satun on Saturday