There is a report on another board that the natural bridge in Aruba has collapsed............can anyone else confirm this? If so I'm glad i got pictures last year.
ORANJESTAD, Aruba -- A natural coral bridge that spanned a cove along Aruba's west coast collapsed before dawn Friday, destroying one of the island's biggest tourist attractions.
The bridge, the largest of its kind in the Caribbean, was 25 feet high and 100 feet long, said Tourism Minister Edison Briesen. The cause was not immediately known, he said.
"It's a very sad day for Aruba and for its tourism," Briesen said. "A picture of the bridge appears in almost every promotional flier, and more tourists visit it than any other attraction."
He stood among hundreds of Arubans who traveled along a bumpy dirt road to see what remained of the national treasure.
"The people who saw it always marveled," said Julie Lacle, a 26-year-old taxi driver who often took tourists to the bridge. "They couldn't believe how beautiful it was."
The bridge, a formation of coral limestone cut out from thousands of years of pounding waves and strong winds, was a popular picnic spot. Hundreds of visitors walked across it each year.
A crack had appeared at one end of the bridge several years ago, said Jose Joseph, who owns a nearby snack and souvenir shop.
Aruba has several natural bridges, some of them difficult to reach. A shorter bridge is located next to the one that collapsed.
"We lost the mother. But we still have the daughter," Joseph said.
The bridge's collapse brought more bad news to an island that has been under the scrutiny of the U.S. media for three months since the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway.
Aruba, an island of 97,000 people, depends on tourism for 70 percent of its gross domestic product. It welcomes 728,000 visitors a year and an additional 550,000 cruise ship passengers. Some 70 percent are from the United States.
Aruba's world famous Natural Bridge plunged into the Caribbean Sea in
the early morning hours of Sept. 2nd. This bridge, carved out of
the rocks on the northern shore by the relentless pounding of waves of
the Caribbean sea, was claimed by the same sea
As one of Aruba's most popular attractions, the area surrounding the
bridge, was frequented by tour buses and visitors throughout the day.
The bridge was a formation of coral limestone cut out by centuries of
pounding surf, and was one of the largest of these types of spans in
the world.
Aruba's world famous Natural Bridge plunged into the Caribbean Sea in
the early morning hours of Sept. 2nd. This bridge, carved out of
the rocks on the northern shore by the relentless pounding of waves of
the Caribbean sea, was claimed by the same sea
As one of Aruba's most popular attractions, the area surrounding the
bridge, was frequented by tour buses and visitors throughout the day.
The bridge was a formation of coral limestone cut out by centuries of
pounding surf, and was one of the largest of these types of spans in
the world.
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Aruba Natural Bridge Collapses??
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Too sad.
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