China’s world’s longest glass bridge closes within two weeks of opening due to visitor surge

The world's longest glass bridge has closed within two weeks of opening after being overwhelmed by the number of visitors. More than 10,000 people flocked to the bridge in China's Hunan province every day, overwhelming managers who had planned to limit visitors to no more than 8,000, local media said. The bridge is undergoing "an internal system upgrade", the Xinhua News service quoted officials as saying. It is not clear when the bridge will reopen.
The group that runs the attraction said it would use the closure to update "software and hardware" related to managing visitors, Xinhua added in its report. In an announcement on one of its social media accounts, the company apologised for inconveniencing the many travellers who had made bookings. The bridge, which is 430 metres (1,400ft) long and suspended 300 metres above the ground, spans the canyon between two mountain cliffs in Zhangjiajie park.

Authorities were eager to demonstrate the safety of the structure after another glass bridge in the same province cracked in 2015. People were encouraged to try and smash the bridge's glass panels with a sledgehammer, and someone even drove a car across it. Nonetheless, visitors were banned from wearing high heels as they ventured across.