Five Killed After Tourist Van Crashes Off ‘World’s Most Beautiful Wooden Bridge’ Above River

Five people tragically drowned when their vehicle veered off a famous pontoon bridge in central China and crashed into a river as they were on their way to a popular tourist spot.

The deadly incident occurred as their tourist van was crossing the 15-foot wide wooden bridge over the Shiziguan River in Enshi, Hubei Province, at around 11:19am on 16th May.

Phone footage captured by horrified witnesses shows the black minivan, which was reportedly carrying eight people, following a line of vehicles before it suddenly slips to the left.

Seemingly unable to stop, the van then breaks through the guardrail and its front slams into the water, with the rear end still hanging on the rail.

But as two other cars drove past the accident point, the black vehicle completely sinks.

Three lucky survivors reportedly managed to escape danger and swam ashore, but the other five passengers died after the search and rescue failed.

Among the dead were three women and two men, all aged between 50 and 55.

It is unclear if the driver was among the survivors.

Tourist vehicle crashes into the water from a pontoon bridge road in Enshi, Hubei, China, undated. Five people died out of eight. (AsiaWire)

The 1,600-foot-long bridge built above the winding river among lush greenery is a popular tourist spot and has been labelled the world’s most beautiful wooden bridge.

Not far from the bridge, there are about seven or eight homestays that offer tourists a play to stay.

One of the owners of the homestays told local media that after the fatal accident, so many tourists rushed to check out and leave that it created a “check-out wave”, which greatly affected business.

The owner said: “There were more than 10 people staying here today [Tuesday], and seven or eight people checked out after the accident.

“I also asked about other rentals, and they basically checked out in large numbers.

“Such a big incident happened. The scenic spot will definitely be closed for rectification, at least half a month, and it is estimated that it will not recover in a short time, and the business will naturally be affected.”

The incident is currently under investigation.