KUANTAN: The video of a man and his son literally putting their lives on the line by crossing a collapsed suspension bridge in Kuala Lipis to get the boy to his first day of school, has become a viral sensation online.
Several video clips, showing the boy and his father gingerly making their way across the side of the 85-metre metal bridge while clinging on to a cable, were posted on Facebook by the boy’s mother.
It is learnt that the boy was on his way to attend pre-school at Sekolah Batu Yon, Bukit Betong. However, since the road in the village was hit by flash floods, the boy’s father decided to use the broken bridge.
Checks revealed that there is an alternative road to the school through Jalan Aur Gading - Padang Tengku but the journey would take close to 45 minutes.
But since the road in the village was submerged and impassable to light vehicles, his 40-year-old father, decided to use the suspension bridge which was damaged for almost one year.
The woman, identified as Siti Zaharah, wrote that her five-year-old son was keen to attend school but had to cross the river, located at Kampung Pamah Aur near Bukit Betong, using the broken bridge to do so.
The bridge, she claimed, had been unusable for a year.
“Anak emak bersemangat dah nak ke sekolah..Tapi kena harungi jambatan yang canggih ni..Dah setahun, tak ada perubahan langsung..Jambatan gantung pamah aur Bukit Betong, Kuala Lipis."
(My child is in high spirits to attend school but has to cross this sophisticated bridge. It has been a year and there has been no change)
The two-minute long clip has garnered more than 50,000 views since it was posted on Facebook. Many netizens criticised the father for putting his young son's life in danger. They also are demanding an explanation from the authorities as to why no effort has been made to repair the bridge.