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A tourist scampers around for dear life as the glass bridge in China, which stands 3,800 feet above a valley in Hubei province, appeared to to crack. Image Credit: Youtube screengrab

A hair-raising ruse shocked tourists and a video of the incident turned viral when “cracks” showed up on the glass floor bridge hanging some 3,870 feet above a valley as people walked by.

The video shows a tourists scampering for safety as the glass panels appeared to crack beneath their feet while traversing the world’s highest glass bridge.

Several news organisations were taken for a ride, too, with the Youtube video showing what turned out to be just a simulated danger.

But the prank did what it was meant to do: call attention to one of China’s top spots for the adventurous.

 
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The glass bridge, which opened in July 2016, spans 430 metres and can hold up to 800 people over the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon in China.

Smart engineers dabbling with some modern materials were able to add more excitement to the experience. The ruse created a fake glass-cracking effect on clear LCD screens used on the bridge floor.

In reality, the panels can carry a much tougher test, or heavier loads. In June last year, one month before the bridge opene, BBC reporter Click's Dan Simmons was challenged to smash his way through one of the skywalk panels. 

However, this safety exercise was apprently lost on the prank victims.

Many people walk on the glass bridge to taken on a challenge of a lifetime — as it is quite terrifying to traverse — as transparent LCD panels used as bridge floor make the drop so imminent.

This "tourist trap" bridge is found in East Taihang Mountains outside Handan city in China’s Hebei Province.