Some 24 people, most of them children, were injured on Thursday when a temporary pedestrian bridge collapsed in the Finnish city of Espoo, on the outskirts of the capital Helsinki, the rescue service said.

The injuries were not life-threatening, the Helsinki Hospital Authority said in a statement.

The children were part of a group of eighth-graders returning from a field trip, Finnish daily Helsinging Sanomat reported, citing a student who had been on the field trip and was not injured.

Police said the temporary bridge had been built from plywood while construction was taking place in the area.

Finnish media published images of at least five people lying on the ground while being treated by rescuers.