The incident, which took place at 6.18pm yesterday in a sightseeing area in the Ili Kazakh autonomous prefecture, injured a further 24 people, Xinhua said.

The scenic area has been closed while the incident is being investigated, Xinhua said.

Videos circulating on social media, verified by Reuters, show a low-hanging suspension bridge tilted to one side with handrails made from cables dangling between the walkway and the ground below.

Part of the bridge hangs over a river.

The videos also show at least two people lying on the ground below the bridge.

In one of the videos, a casualty was put onto a wooden plank, while another video shows people carrying the makeshift stretcher away from the scene.

The 65sq km area, called Xiata, boasts a natural landscape including a mountain pass, a valley, and a river as well as cultural remains such as ruins of an ancient town, public information shows.

The central government has sent a task force to the site of the accident to oversee the investigation and the treatment of the injured, Xinhua said in a separate report.