Nine dead after bridge collapses under weight of too many people during religious festival

A bridge connecting two small islands near the Indonesian resort island of Bali collapsed on Sunday, killing nine people and injuring at least 30, officials said.

There were too many people passing over the bridge for a religious ceremony when it collapsed at 6pm local time, police officer Arendra Wahyudi said, adding some motorbikes also fell into the water.

The sea beneath the bridge was less than two metres deep, Wahyudi said, but many of the victims were crushed by debris.
All of the victims were locals, he said.

Indonesia’s search and rescue agency stopped the search for the day at 9pm local time, but will resume at daybreak on Monday, its spokesman said.