Oi ! where's the bridge ?

Part of the world's longest wooden pedestrians' bridge (Horaibashi) has been swept away by a swollen river in SHIMADA, Shizuoka , Japan, local government officials said.

The bridge was closed on Saturday due to the rise of the Oi River, and there were no casualties.

At about 1 p.m. on Sunday, a local government official patrolling the banks of the Oi River in Shimada found five piers and other debris from the 897-meter-long Horai Bridge.

Shimada Municipal Government officials say repairs will not be carried out within the fiscal year due of a lack of funds.

The Horai Bridge (Horaibashi) was completed in 1879. Its piers were replaced by concrete piers in 1965, while the wooden pedestrians' bridge was preserved. In 1997, the Horai Bridge was registered in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest wooden pedestrians' bridge.