A pedestrian bridge collapsed a couple of hours ago in Espoo, Tapiola. “Espoo bridge collapse injures 24, most of them children Most of those hurt are minors on a school trip, according to Helsinki University Hospital District (HUS).”

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  1. ​

    “**In Espoo’s Tapiola**, a major accident has occurred where a walking bridge collapsed near a construction site. The pedestrian bridge, which was made of plywood, was in public use when it collapsed, causing several people to be injured, including many schoolchildren from Kalasataman middle school. According to reports, some of the children fell several meters when the bridge collapsed, resulting in various degrees of injuries, including serious ones. The injuries mainly included fractures in limbs.

    As per the fire department, there were a total of 27 injured individuals, out of which 15 have been taken to hospitals. The Helsinki University Hospital (Hus) has provided medical attention to the injured, and they have been sent to four different hospitals, including Siltasairaala, The New Children Hospital, Peijas, and Jorvi. Hus has also set up a patient information center for relatives, where they can inquire about their loved ones’ condition.”

    ​

    Yle:

    “At least 24 people, including children on a class trip, were injured when a temporary bridge in Espoo collapsed on Thursday morning.

    Several individuals fell a few meters as the plywood-based bridge gave way at around 9.30am, according to the Western Uusimaa police.

    The bridge was located on Itätuulenkuja in Espoo’s Tapiola district. The Länsi-Uusimaa Rescue Department said victims had sustained injuries of varying degrees, but none of them were life-threatening.

    Most of those admitted had suffered limb fractures, according to the local health authority HUS.”

    ​

    [https://yle.fi/a/74-20031267](https://yle.fi/a/74-20031267)

  3. This is terrible. Who thought it was a good idea to make a pedestrian bridge of plywood. Especially when it’s exposed to weather and rain. Amateur hour.

  4. Is this the one they temporarily built in the construction site in front of the shopping mall? I walked there once last year and the floor was vibrating like crazy even though there is only 3 people walking on it. I feared of course but then again I thought hmmm it must be safe because it is Finland.

  5. reading between the lines here…but i’m gonna bet it was a bunch of older kids jumping on it that caused it….

  7. Lived in tapiola couple years ago and walked over that bridge pretty much daily. Felt relatively safe.

    Was there couple weeks ago after some time. I noticed how the bridge was screeching a lot more than before. Genuinely had a thought that what if it gives up under me. Didn’t think much about it after as a person I’ve always been a bit paranoid.

    Hope and wish everyone full recovery!

  9. Heard the kids were jumping on it. Not sure if they are tested to withstand tens of people jumping on them at the same time, hopefully I’m wrong!

  10. I used to work nearby and would have to walk through that entire bridge contraption multiple times a week. It was really, really unstable even back then (late 2021-early 2022) and the moment I heard a bridge had collapsed in Tapiola I immediately knew it was this one.

  11. Who’s fault is this, put them on blast so they get back to proper quality checking. As someone who has worked in construction, I left because I was sick and tired if the older dudes and quick foreign workers who would brush off any concerns about quality of work , I will not put my name on crap construction.. put them on blast !!!

  12. Aren’t most of the kids in this area S2 children (non-finnish)? I wonder if such neglect would fly if this was purely Finnish area…

    This is embarrassing.

  13. Sorry for late comment, but the kids were on a school trip, that’s why there were so many of them.

    They were 8th graders from the Kalasatama school, and they are in the “taidetestaajat”, art testers program like all Finnish 8th graders are. They were going to visit the EMMA museum (the Espoo Modern Art Museum) at WeeGee, that’s why they were in Tapiola.

    “Art Testers is the largest culture education program in Finland, offering all 8th graders and their teachers 1–2 annual visits in esteemed cultural institutions. Our program reaches over 65,000 people annually in all Finnish municipalities. The attractions and the number of visits vary according to the funding of our program.

    The core goal of our program is to offer young people experiences in art and to find them tools to form well-versed opinions on their experience. What did they think? Would they revisit?”

    [https://taidetestaajat.fi/en](https://taidetestaajat.fi/en)

  14. I hope whoever is responsible for the bridge is held accountable and I hope all those injured recover without any life changing injuries.

    As soon as my girlfriend told me about a pedestrian bridge collapsing in Tapiola I immediately thought of the one leading to Ainoa where the new apartments are being built.

    I always thought it was strange how the “temporary” bridge was made of such thin sheets of plywood and how bendy and cracked they appeared.

    I walk the bridge twice a day, Monday to Friday for the past 18 months on my way to work and I’m honestly not surprised. The wood was getting worse over time, especially after the recent winter which covers the bridge in thick snow and ice making the wood extremely damp and soft. What surprises me is that no one inspected the integrity of the bridge monthly or at least after the winter snow melted given the amount of foot traffic it receives on a daily basis, especially during “rush hour” when people are heading to work from or to the metro.

    Just a terrible incident all round.

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