BARCELONA, Spain, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed and one remains missing after a wooden footbridge collapsed along a coastal path at El Bocal beach in the northern Spanish city of Santander on Tuesday afternoon, local media reported.

The wooden structure, part of a coastal path connecting El Bocal and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, gave way for reasons still under investigation. Seven people were on the footbridge at the time, all of whom fell into the water and onto the rocks below.

One person was rescued alive, while five deaths have been confirmed, including one individual who was taken to the Marques de Valdecilla University Hospital in critical condition and later succumbed to severe injuries. One person remains unaccounted for.

In response to the emergency, the regional 112 emergency center launched a large-scale rescue operation. Authorities have yet to determine the exact cause of the collapse.

The coastal path has been temporarily closed while emergency operations continue. ■