DPA
Helsinki
At least 27 people were injured in Finland when a temporary pedestrian bridge near a building site collapsed near Helsinki on Thursday.
Most of those hurt were children after the accident in Espoo, near Helsinki, the emergency service said in a tweet.
Broadcaster Yle said a group of schoolchildren was on the bridge at the time. They fell around 5 metres.
The victims were part of a group of eighth-graders from a school in Helsinki, with 23 of them teenagers, most born in 2008, plus oneadult, Finnish radio station Yle reported, citing Helsinki University Hospital.
Finnish media said the group was on the bridge when it suddenly gave way. Most suffered broken legs or arms. No one was critically injured.
The police are investigating the cause of the accident.
Leading Finnish politicians expressed their dismay, including President Sauli Niinistö, caretaker Prime Minister Sanna Marin and her expected successor Petteri Orpo, whose conservative National Rally Party won the recent elections.
Espoo Municipal Director Jukka Mäkelä also expressed his shock after the accident.
