A recently repaired suspension bridge collapsed in Santos Reyes Nopala, Oaxaca, on Sunday leaving as many as 30 people injured, five of them seriously.
The group of mostly women and children were on their way to a Christmas posada when the bridge buckled under their weight in the community of Cañada de Guadalupe, 70 kilometers north of Puerto Escondido.
Some fell into the river below and others onto the rocky riverbank.
The bridge received maintenance in August, which involved laying new wooden planks. The mayor’s office, which was responsible for the work, said at the time that the bridge had been damaged after years of use.
Four children and six adults were taken to a hospital in Puerto Escondido — the five severely injured people among them — and at least seven children and six adults were treated in the town of Nopala.
The mayor organized a shelter for the families near the local hospital, and local hotels also provided accommodation.
