China shuts glass bridges and walkways over safety fears

At 488 metres long, world's longest glass bridge is in Hebei province

A glass-bottomed bridge in Zhangjiajie, in China's Henan province (AFP via Getty Images)

Safety fears have forced the closure of a number of glass-bottomed tourist attractions in China.

Amid fears over safety and supervision, 32 glass bridges and walkways have been closed in the ​Hebei Province in the northeast of the country over the past 18 months.

The 488m-long Hongyagu glass suspension bridge, billed as the world's longest, opened there just two years ago.

In southern China’s Guangdong province, authorities have demanded changes in six scenic spots, reports the state-owned China News Service (CNS).

The country has seen many the attractions spring up across the country in an effort to woo tourists and now has 2,300 glass-bottomed bridges and countless glass walkways or slides, some of which have encountered safety issues.

In 2015, a glass-bottomed walkway attached to the side of a mountain in China’s Henan province cracked after tourists walked across it. The 3,000ft-high walkway was then shut for repairs.

The following year, the world's formerly highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge in China was forced to close for maintenance less than two weeks after opening to the public.

The six-metre-wide bridge is 430m long and spans a valley connecting two mountains in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province.

Other terrifying tourist attractions in China include the Canton Tower Bubble Tram in Guangzhou and the Cliff Swing in Chongqing.