This is the astonishing moment a diorama of a bridge made from barbecue sticks held an impressive load in a school experiment.

Civil Engineering student Mishia Aguel and her classmate demonstrated how sturdy their DIY mini-bridge was by placing a 10st (68kg) weight on it in Palawan, the Philippines.

Footage shows the structure set between two tables as a schoolboy places heavy metal discs onto a rod suspended from the centre of the truss bridge on September 1.

He carefully stacks the weights one by one until there is no space left.

Moments later, the metal bar collapsed under the weight of the plates, but the model remained surprisingly intact.

Mishia said: '‎By the end of the test, our class wasn't just relieved, it felt like we had taken a big step from theory to actual engineering practice.

'The activity showed us that even small models carry big lessons, and it reminded us why precision, creativity, and collaboration matter in structural engineering.'