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The group of 17 students who visited New Zealand’s Cave Creek in 1995 didn’t think they were doing anything dangerous. They weren’t exploring narrow pathways; they were on a guided tour, staying on a beaten path designed for tourists.
When they made it to a platform that overlooked a chasm, some of the boys couldn’t help but notice how flimsy it felt. As a joke, they jumped and shook it, marveling at how precariously it seemed to be built.
They figured it was all in fun. In an era of safety regulations, they assumed that it just looked flimsier than it really was—but they were wrong. The platform had been built by men with no experience in engineering. It was meant to be bolted in place, but they’d used nails instead, simply because they didn’t have a drill handy.
Under the weight of the students, the platform gave way. It toppled over and collapsed, crashing down into the chasm below. One student survived by grabbing onto the handrail and riding it down, but his classmates were hurtled overboard and killed.
Of the 17, only four survived. They were lifted out in helicopters. One had a fractured spine, but with 13 of her friends dead, she counted herself as one of the lucky ones.
