Bridge collapse kills 8 children in Aceh

Eight children died when a suspension bridge collapsed in Aceh over the weekend, officials said Monday. Rescuers are searching for five others still missing.

Dozens of people were on the bridge in Aceh province watching a traditional ceremony intended to ward off disasters when it collapsed in 2-meter-deep floodwaters triggered by heavy rains, said National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Priyadi Kardono.

Eight children between the ages of 6 and 13 were killed in Sunday's disaster, said Muhammad Yusuf, chief of Aih Ilang village.

Seasonal downpours cause annual flash flooding in Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.