New bridge spectacularly collapses in China
Beijing: A newly opened bridge in southwest China has partially collapsed, plunging into the river below after worsening mountain conditions triggered landslides.
No casualties were recorded because the bridge had been closed to traffic. Inspection crews on Monday had noticed cracks on the slopes and shifts were seen in the terrain of a mountain, Chinese state media outlet The Global Times reported.
The 758-metre-long Hongqi bridge, in the western province of Sichuan, was part of the national highway linking the country’s heartland with Tibet.
By Monday evening, authorities had evacuated all stranded vehicles on the bridge, and warning signs were set up on-site to strictly control unauthorised entry, according to the local paper Sichuan Daily.
Footage released by Chinese state media showed a section of the bridge near the mountain slope collapsing on Tuesday as a landslide ruptured the foundations. The approach bridge and roadbed disappeared into a plume of smoke as the structures plunged into the river.
Construction of the bridge was finished earlier this year, according to a video posted by the contractor Sichuan Road & Bridge Group on social media.
“Currently, there is no estimated timeline for the reopening of the highway,” the company said.
The collapse will raise fresh concerns about the safety of China’s infrastructure to withstand extreme weather events, after a spate of recent bridge and road collapses. China has pursued a massive infrastructure agenda over the past decade, which has seen new projects built at a rapid speed across the country.
It comes just months after a 1.6-kilometre-long railway bridge collapsed during construction in northwest China’s Qinghai province, killing at least 12 workers.
A steel cable snapped during a tensioning operation in August, sending workers plunging 55 metres into the Yellow River below. Boats, a helicopter and robots were used in the search, state media said.
Last year, at least 38 people were killed when a bridge partially collapsed in China’s Shaanxi province, triggered by torrential rains and flash flooding. The collapse caused 25 vehicles to plunge into a fast-flowing river below, with 24 people still missing weeks after the event.
In May 2024, 36 people died after heavy rains caused a section of a highway to collapse in a mountainous area of Guangdong province, sending cars tumbling down a slope.
With Reuters, AP
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