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Beawiharta / Reuters
Sofiah, right, and her friends walk to school at Sanghiang Tanjung village in Lebak regency, Banten, Indonesia on Jan. 19, 2012.
Beawiharta / Reuters
Students hold on to the side steel bars of a collapsed bridge as they cross a river to get to school in Sanghiang Tanjung on Jan. 19, 2012
For Sofiah and her classmates, the journey to school just got a whole lot harder. The Indonesian schoolgirl lives on one side of the Ciberang River but her school in the village of Sanghiang Tanjung is on the other - and the river has been flooding.
On Monday, the rising waters broke a pillar supporting a suspension bridge that crosses it, the head of the village told Reuters.
Faced with an extra 30 minutes' walk to cross via an alternate bridge, Sofiah and her friends have chosen to undertake the precarious crossing of the collapsed bridge instead.
As word has spread, the media gathered to film a feat worthy of Indiana Jones. But the children don't appear to be perturbed, safely making it across and continuing to school.
At least they have something to say when their parents ask, "What happened at school today?"
Beawiharta / Reuters
Sofiah, left, and her friend cross the bridge on Jan. 19, 2012.
Beawiharta / Reuters
Sofiah stands on a chair as she writes on a whiteboard after reaching school on Jan. 19, 2012.
Children in Indonesia are taking a perilous route to school using a broken suspension bridge. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.
Leave a Comment:
Are there plans to fix the bridge? How can we help?
Nice. Our kids ride a bus to and from school, and still have to have someone hold their hand just to walk across the street.
And yet we wonder why foreign and international students are trouncing American college kids...
I agree with what has been state concerning the lazy children in America not even wanting an education and these children are willing to do whatever it takes to get to school. My lazy high school son does not even like to walk the TWO blocks we live from the school. My hats off to the children as well. Still, maybe we can send our Corps of Engineers over there to build them a proper bridge. We have a lot of military home now so lets give them a job where they can help in another way.
kallie i agree with You but how do i reconcile withe fact that Tesla eistein and majority of others were IMPORTED immigrant brains
also lets not forget for the bigots hate mongeres and fear drummers that Indonesia is the largest muslim country. No oklahoma terriorism there... no one pisses on corpses of christian minorities ( remeber President Obama studied there in the christian school ) like our US soldiers did in afhganistan > no one beats the @!$%# out of Sheep as our Tropps did in Afhganistan ( you tube Video ) and No one does sexual battery during footbal as bama fan did to LSU or Like the troop who raped 14 year and killed her parents and siblings leading a gang rape by US soldiers.
I am glad those people unlike us still view that as act of deranged and insane few rather than an expression of all christianity and whole USA a like. Unlike us who blame Islam and curse its Book and prophet in the most bashing terms for the act of their few deranged and lunatics
3rd world @!$%#ehole!
All their engineers come to the U.S. to phuqup our infrastructure!
And is getting up 30 minutes earlier to walk to the alternate bridge really that difficult...sounds like the parents don't care....
Prime example of Darwin at work. Any kid not "strong" enough to make it get out of the gene pool.
Our kids in the USA would be too fat to make it. None of these kids are fat.
Thats life on the 3rd world countries.In the USA we have it so good, sometimes we forget.
Kallie. Whoa! Consult NMAP publication FOUNDATIONS FOR SUCCESS completed in 2008. You do err. Typical distortion.
This totally stupid. They should not have school until the bridge gets fixed.This is to dangerous,what if they would to fall in the water and drown.Is school that important to risk your childs life in such a dangerous situtation.These people have no morals,down right stupid.The parents are stupid to for sending their kids out to school and crossing a dangerous broken bridge above flood waters. Here the parents are stupid to.
Holy $hit!
This isn't news. This is people taking the shorter route to where they need to get to even across a broken bridge if they have to. This is just filler.
That goes to show that any obstacle should be overcome when it comes to getting an education. We should all encourage everyone no matter the age to get an education or some more higher learning. It is never too late. The adult group should lead by example and if not at least encourage the kids of our future. I am a family man, have a busy life, but manage to go to school myself. I also take the time to teach my son math so he can be ahead. I read with him and I teach him how to pronounce difficult words. He is 9 and I started doing the same with my 4yr old since he was 3. I encourage everyone to stand up and help those they can.
Where are Oprah and Angelina when you need them?
This is amazing, we are so lucky in America.
Wow,
On the surface this seems horrible. But it really shows the tenacity and blissful ignorance to danger children seem to have.
I find this to be truly remarkable.
But seriously.... lets get that bridge fixed for crying out loud!!!
I think we should be appalled by the insanity of innocent children crossing this unsafe bridge. We should be thinking about the safety of the children, and not talk about adventure. It's a shame that some find the unsafe situation adventurous.
The Indonesian authorities are irresponsible and we should be calling them on that. Even if they can't fix the bridge right away, they can prevent the children from crossing. A child should not die before they take action.
This is insane!
Jazzy, Get Over It.
It's not insane you twit. You're more likely to get hit by a car because of some 16 year old texting his so-called girl friend here in the US than those kids are to dying in a river because of a partially collapsed bridge.
THIS ISN'T NEWS. IT'S AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE SOMETHING NEWS THAT ISN'T. YOU SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT WHO IS DRIVING THE BUSS YOUR CHILDREN TAKE TO SCHOOL, NOT THE CHILDREN OF ANOTHER NATION. GET OVER IT PEOPLE.
Did you not hear or read the article? There is an alternate route, but the children choose to go this route because it's faster. Although you and I and most other adults would agree, this is highly dangerous. But watching those children navigate that bridge is absolute astonishing. The make it seem effortless.
Also, did you forget your childhood? Maybe you were sheltered. I remember doing some pretty hair raising things as a kid.
You seem to have missed my previous quote:
GetOverItPeople
This isn't news. This is people taking the shorter route to where they need to get to even across a broken bridge if they have to. This is just filler.
#67 - Fri Jan 20, 2012 10:48 AM EST
GetOverItPeople,
First off, my comment was not directed at you.
Second, this is news. Just not the kind you would prefer. I suppose the children were falling off and being eaten by crocodiles would make this more news worthy for you.
Children Ninja Warrior!!!
Wow that's amazing! It didn't look that safe BEFORE the cable broke! I wonder if there are crocs in that water. I pray for all of their safety.
These kids want to go to school so bad, that they risk their lives crossing a broken bridge. Its sad that kids in American will destroy and plunder their schools because they are jealous or upset that kids from other socio-economic situations have better than they do.
I bet the school these kids are risking their lives to get to is some broken down shack without new books and computers, and they know rich kids have access to better, but instead of being salty and bitter and jealous about their inequalities, they use it as motivation to try harder.
Amazing. Kids in America need to understand they are entitled to nothing, and if the style of life they want isnt handed to them, they actually have to work hard for it.
Right, because the 5 kids you see crossing this bridge MUST be indicative of all the school age kids in that country right? There's no way that early teenagers in that country are doing drugs or ditching school, it's only in America that happens yeh? Amazing the judgements and opinions people can create off of one little picture. And Philly sucks.
I will pitch in 100.00 to get this bridge repiared for these kids and that's quite abit of money over there,so who's with me?.How much will you pitch in and we'll get these kids a safe bridge.At least they want to go to school.
how about their government fix their own bridge? Take that $100 and spend it in AMERICA so we can create some more jobs. Yeh? Stimulate the economy yeh?
I find it amazing. Just think of the engineering feat it was to build that bridge?
How much of a "feat" is it to drag a cable across a river and tie it to the other side...
That's not really the remarkable part of this story.
Must be real boring at home there ,that would be great excuse not to go and I've come up with alot of em when I was a kid hahaha