Moscow park chief fired after bridge collapse injures 13
AP
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Moscow Gorky Park web.jpg

Moscow Gorky Park (File Photo: web)

The mayor of Moscow has fired the director of the city’s renowned Gorky Park after 13 people were injured when a wooden pedestrian bridge packed with New Year’s celebrants collapsed.

Video on Russian television showed a section of the bridge collapsing early Tuesday as the national anthem played on loudspeakers, marking the beginning of 2019. The park in central Moscow is a popular gathering place for the New Year’s Eve holiday.

The bridge, 350 meters (1,100 feet) long, runs along the park’s enormous outdoor ice rink.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the victims, none of whose injuries were reported to be serious, would each receive compensation of 250,000 or 500,000 rubles ($3,700-$7,400).

The fired director, Marina Lyulchuk, had been in the post since October 2016.