Glass walkways have become increasingly popular in Chinese scenic tourist locations. (Photo : Reuters)
A glass walkway in a cliff above a canyon in central China has been closed because of cracks that formed as several dozen tourists were walking on it.
According to the microblog of the management bureau of the Yuntaishan scenic area in Henan Province, the incident only caused one of three layers of glass to shatter, so there was no real threat to the safety of visitors.
The microblog post was not specific regarding how the cracks were formed, only citing an external force. It did mention that the walkway can support weights of over 800 kilograms per square meter.
As the walkway was supporting dozens of tourists on Monday, a loud bang was heard when the cracks formed. A single pane of the 68-meter section shattered into several segments the size of a coin, according to Shanghai Daily's description of a footage shown by state-backed news station CCTV.
Tourists who heard the panel crack were quick to post on the Weibo messaging service.
The glass walkway is around 120 meters above a canyon in the remote mountain area known for being a scenic tourist spot. It opened on Sept. 20, and the crack happened during the National Day holiday.
In November, the glass walkway above London's Tower Bridge experienced a similar problem, as a falling bottle shattered a layer of one of the panes.
Glass walkways have recently become popular in China, as scenic areas compete to attract tourists.
China is home to the world's highest and longest glass walkway in Hunan's Zhangjiajie. The structure stretches 430 meters and is located 300 meters above the canyon floor.
