A bridge connecting two small islands near Bali collapsed on Sunday, sending motorcycles into the water, killing eight people and injuring about 30, an official said.
A suspension bridge connecting Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan, two small islands popular with tourists southeast of the favored Indonesian resort of Bali, collapsed at 6:30 p.m. (10:30 GMT), the disaster agency said.
Only motorcyclists and pedestrians are allowed to cross the narrow bridge, and it was particularly crowded on the time of the accident because people were collaborating in a Hindu ceremony at a close-by temple.
“Before the bridge collapsed, it was already shaking,” said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
“Some motorcyclists and people fell into the sea and local residents immediately tried to save them.”
Officials suspect it collapsed because of overload, he added. Photos showed the suspension bridge sank in shallow water between two islands.
Nugroho said eight Indonesians were killed and 30 people were injured, two of them seriously. The injured were taken to health centers.
He added that each one the victims were local residents and no foreigners were involved.
Local people haven’t reported anyone else missing, but search and rescue teams will proceed to go looking the world from early Monday morning, he added.
Bali, a stronghold of Hinduism in Muslim-majority Indonesia, is legendary for its palm-fringed beaches and attracts thousands and thousands of tourists yearly.
