Around 24 injured in Finland bridge collapse, many of them children

Around 24 people, a majority of them children, were injured on Thursday when a temporary pedestrian bridge collapsed in the Finnish city of Espoo, just outside the capital, Helsinki, the rescue service said.

The injuries were not life-threatening, the Helsinki Hospital Authority said in a statement.

The children were part of a group of eighth grade students returning from a field trip, the Finnish newspaper Helsinging Sanomat reported, quoting a student who had participated in the excursion and who was not injured.

Police said the temporary bridge had been built from plywood while construction was ongoing in the area.

Finnish media published pictures of at least five people lying on the ground while being attended to by rescue workers.