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Judicial Report Finds Corroded Fittings Caused Santander Footbridge Collapse

The court-ordered analysis cites negligent inspection, intensifying scrutiny of state and city oversight.

Overview

  • The court-appointed engineer's report, released Thursday, finds that corroded metal support fittings failed and triggered a chain reaction that opened the deck downward, killing six students and injuring one survivor on March 3rd.
  • The expert says there was no maintenance plan and that inspection work was negligent, noting the advanced rust would have been clear in a simple check beneath the bridge.
  • The fittings were likely not stainless steel suited to a marine setting and had lost load-bearing section over time, with the most probable first break at the central southern fitting.
  • Work carried out in July 2024 by the State’s coastal authority focused on railings and did not address the wooden structure, the metal fittings, or the structural bolts.
  • A prior court order names the State’s Demarcación de Costas as responsible for maintenance while stating the city retains public-safety authority, and a 112 call the day before warned of a break that Local Police did not act on.