Espoo is shocked by the bridge accident in Tapiola
A temporary bridge collapsed this morning on Itätuulenkuja in Tapiola. Several eighth-graders from the Kalasatama school in Helsinki were injured in the accident. No one suffered life-threatening injuries. The Mayor of the City of Espoo, Jukka Mäkelä, is shocked and deeply sorry about what happened. “We will do everything in our power to thoroughly investigate the causes of the accident.”
The injured have been taken to the Meilahti Bridge Hospital, the New Children’s Hospital and to Peijas and Jorvi hospitals. According to the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS), the hospitals have the capacity to treat the patients injured in the accident.
Helsinki crisis emergency services offers support for those affected: tel. +358 9 31044222.
In Espoo, crisis support is provided by Western Uusimaa Social and Crisis Emergency Services: tel. +358 29 1512221.
The city is responsible for the collapsed bridge – the cause of the collapse is being investigated
There are temporary pedestrian routes in place on Itätuulenkuja, including two bridges, one of which collapsed this morning. The city is responsible for the collapsed bridge, which was designed and built by a scaffolding supplier.
The bridges are inspected on a weekly basis. The most recent inspection was carried out on Friday 5 May, and there is an inspection record of it. The Safety Investigation Authority of Finland is investigating the cause of the collapse.
Other operators are also responsible for some parts of the routes. The City of Espoo will make sure that all bridges in the area are inspected without delay.