This is the horrific moment a man falls through the decking of a footbridge onto a railway line in east London.
Network Rail has launched a probe into the incident after footage posted on TikTok showed the man lying next to a live rail surrounded by the debris of the Kennedy Road footbridge, in Barking.
He was taken to hospital where his condition was described as “not life-threatening” by Network Rail.
One local described the footbridge as being in a “horrible state” before the collapse about 4pm on Sunday.
Commenting on the video, which has generated more than 100,000 views, one said: “That bridge has been looking dusty for the longest time”.
Another agreed, adding: “I said this. The gap in the wall was getting bigger and bigger…”
Network Rail, who are in charge of maintaining safe passageways across their railway lines, had pencilled in refurbishment works on the bridge for next year.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We are investigating a serious incident at Kennedy Road footbridge in Barking after a member of the public fell onto the railway after part of the footbridge decking collapsed on Sunday.
“Thankfully, their injuries are not life-threatening and our thoughts are with them as they recover.
“We have taken immediate steps to close the footbridge and make the structure secure.
“We are working closely with the Office of Road and Rail and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch to find out the cause of the incident.”
London Ambulance Service has been approached for comment.
