Thiruvananthapuram: Twenty people, including women and children, fell into the sea and sustained injuries after huge tidal waves toppled the floating bridge at Varkala beach recently. The floating bridge was opened to the visitors, ignoring the alerts issued by the National Institute of Ocean Technology. The institute had warned that waves that are as high as 0.3 – 1.2 metres high would batter the Kerala coast until 11.30 pm on March 9. The special instruction advising visitors to avoid trips to beaches and strictly avoid playing or swimming in the sea was issued on Friday itself.
Visitors were allowed to walk on the floating bridge from 11 am onwards despite the advisory asking the coastal residents to move to a different place as there were chances for sea surge and high tidal waves. Such instructions are often ignored as the workers who are associated with operating the floating bridge are not Malayalis. It is the same at all the floating bridges in the state.
The floating bridge that is 100 metres long was toppled and the handrails collapsed in the high tidal waves. There had been many instances in the past which prove that the floating bridges in the state aren’t quite safe. Such bridges are seen in foreign countries at the beaches where small waves lap against the shore. Earlier, there were concerns that the strong waves in the beaches here may not be suitable for the floating bridge. The videos of people falling into the sea as the bridge moved violently in the strong waves had become viral earlier too. Meanwhile, there are allegations that safety measures were insufficient even though there were chances for people, including children, to fall in the sea.
Sea water and sand in windpipe
Among the people who were injured in the floating bridge accident include tourists from Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Kanpur. The incident happened at the Papanasam beach at around 4.30 pm on Saturday. Sixty persons were on the platform when the accident happened. The bridge moved violently in the strong waves and the handrails collapsed throwing twenty people into the sea. They were rescued and brought to the shore by the lifeguards appointed by the company that operates the bridge.
Meanwhile, the hospital authorities say that most people had sea water and sand in their windpipe. Many sustained injuries as sand rubbed harshly on their skin. The floating bridge that collapsed in the high tidal waves was assured safety by Minister PA Muhammad Riyas. Last year, the floating bridge at Chavakkad beach in Thrissur was dismantled as the weather was unfavourable. Besides, the floating bridge project in Alappuzha was scrapped as the waves weren’t safe.
Major disaster averted
Visitors were allowed to walk on the bridge even after the waves began rising. The strong waves were lashing onto the bridge that is 100 metres long from the coast. People fell into the sea when the bridge toppled to one side after the handrails collapsed. Lifeguard supervisor R Shankar said that a major disaster was averted as most people fell in the shallow part of the sea, around fifty meters from the coast.
As the bridge is maintained by a private company, the warnings given by the lifeguards in the beach were ignored. There are reports that a few people had either fallen into the sea or sustained injures due to strong waves, in the last few days. The bridge was inaugurated by Minister PA Muhammad Riyas on December 25, 2023. People had been flocking the beach, since that day, to see the bridge and to walk on it.
This is what the minister said months ago
The Minister had alleged that some were trying to disrupt the scope of water sports and beach tourism in the state by spreading rumours. “The floating bridge at Chavakad was dismantled due to bad weather. But some people lied that the bridge had collapsed. There is a lobby that is determined to stop tourists from other states by spreading rumours about safety issues. The media too is in cahoots with them. There is incredible scope for beach tourism in Kerala. We will surely utilize it to our advantage,” the Minister had said.
