China's Zhangjiajie glass bridge closes due to influx of visitors

Baku. 3 August. REPORT.AZ/ A glass-bottomed bridge in China that was heralded as a record-breaker when it opened just 13 days ago has closed, Report informs citing the BBC.

Officials said the government was planning urgent maintenance work in the area and the bridge closed on Friday, with a re-opening time to be announced.

The bridge, spanning a canyon, was "overwhelmed by the volume of visitors".

There had been no accidents and the bridge was not cracked or broken.

The 430m-long bridge, which cost $3.4m to build, connects two mountain cliffs in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province.

It hangs 300m over a canyon said to have inspired the landscapes of the film Avatar.

When it opened, it was said to be the highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge in the world.

The bridge can accommodate 8,000 visitors a day but 10 times as many people wanted access daily.