Natural Coral Bridge Collapses in Aruba

One of Aruba’s top tourist attractions crumbled today.

ArubaDag, the radio group of Aruba, has a great pictorial of it.

Natural Coral Bridge Collapses in Aruba

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.

First Joran being released, now the Coral Bridge collapsing. It is a sad day for Aruban Tourism.

Here is a picture Aruba Today sent to us. Click on picture for larger size.