O

ne villager died and at least eight went missing on Sunday as a bamboo bridge collapsed, plunging them into the swift currents of Cihideung River in Ciampea, Bogor, West Java.

Search and rescue team coordinator Budi Aksomo said the victims were on their way home after attending a commemoration of Prophet Muhammad’s birth at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture campus.

“The bamboo bridge collapsed when the residents were crossing it,” Budi was quoted as saying by
Antara.

The bridge connects Cibanteng village with neighboring Cinangneng.

“The bridge was quite old, and the collapse may have happened because it was overloaded as 17 villagers crossed it at the same time,” he said.

Eight villagers managed to swim to safety while the remaining probably drowned, according to Budi.

The victims fell 5 meters into the river, surging with strong currents from heavy downpours that covered Bogor since Saturday.

All of the search and rescue team has been deployed. But the strong current has held us from diving into the river to find the victims,” said Budi.

“We’ve installed a net around 1-kilometer downstream from the scene in order to prevent the bodies from drifting further.”

Ciampea Police detective Comr. Dali Saputra said the poor condition of the bridge was the main factor in the collapse.

“We’re still investigating whether there’s any negligence in the incident,” he said.

The incident scene is located less than 70 kilometers from Jakarta.

People living in villages are often confronted with poor infrastructure, due mostly to a lack of local governmental attention than a shortage of funds.

Recently, dramatic pictures showed students risking their lives to get to school in Sanghiang Tanjung after three suspension bridges in Lebak regency, Banten province, collapsed due to recent flooding.

Lebak is located less than 100 kilometers from Jakarta.