Ngaruawahia residents say people will continue to jump off a bridge over the Waikato River where an 11-year-old girl was tragically struck by a train and killed while reportedly playing on the bridge with a friend yesterday.
1 NEWS Reporter Jessica Mutch was in the Waikato town of Ngaruawahia today where she asked the locals for their views on the safety of the bridge after the accident.
"I did it when I was young and the Awa (river) protects us, it looks after us and I think mainstream media won't understand that, but that's our playground because we look after it and the awa looks after us," one local woman told 1 NEWS.
"So those who are not from here may perceive it differently."
She also said that a lot of her whanau jump off the bridge, but she does understand the safety issues around the bridge and is open to the council proposing other options to keep Ngaruawahia youth occupied.
1 NEWS Reporter Jessica Mutch travelled to the scene of the fatal accident to search for answers today.
"We have so many youth here who don't have a basketball court or a youth centre etc," she said.
A local youth told 1 NEWS that the tragic incident won't stop him or his friends jumping off the bridge.
"Nah everyone's still fit to jump off it won't stop us," he said.
SHARE ME