Four French hikers have survived a terrifying bridge collapse while walking in New Zealand.

One hiker was filming his friends ahead of him on September 3 as they crossed the tiny bridge in single file, and caught the moment it collapsed on camera.

As the four walked over the Hopu Ruahine suspension bridge, one of the main cables snapped and sent three of the crew tumbling into Lake Waikaremoana below.

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The incident happens in a matter of seconds, with the holder of the camera suddenly struggling underwater.

As soon as the man managed to get his head above water, he pointed the camera back up to the bridge where one remaining hiker could still be seen, trying to make their way of the faulty bridge.

Fortunately, the tourists survived the eight-metre fall without sustaining any serious injuries.

One commenter on the video suggested the bridge may have collapsed because the hikers were walking in unison, noting that soldiers traditionally never marched over bridges for that reason.

The bridge was last inspected in September last year, and was fully inspected by an engineer 18 months ago, Department of Conservation operations manager Mike Slater told the New Zealand Herald.

“An event such as this is extremely rare occurrence and we just need to understand in this particular case exactly what did happen.”

The bridge was now closed, Mr Slater said.

The incident comes 20 years after 13 outdoor education students died after a viewing platform collapsed in Paparoa National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand.