New Bridge Collapses Days After Opening in South-West China
A newly constructed bridge in China's mountainous Sichuan province partially collapsed on Tuesday, sending concrete slabs and clouds of dust tumbling down the mountainside and into the water below. The incident at Hongqi Bridge occurred just days after the structure officially opened to traffic.
Remarkably, no casualties were reported in the dramatic collapse. Authorities had taken the precautionary measure of closing the 758-metre long bridge on Monday after concerning cracks appeared on nearby roads, potentially preventing a major tragedy.
Social Media Captures Dramatic Moment
Videos showing sections of the Hongqi Bridge breaking away and plunging into the ravine below circulated widely across Chinese social media platforms. The footage captured the moment when a landslide on Tuesday caused part of the structure to give way completely.
The bridge formed a crucial part of the national highway linking Sichuan province with Tibet, running through one of China's most seismically active regions. This same area was devastated by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake that claimed nearly 70,000 lives.
Construction Boom in Challenging Terrain
According to social media posts by the contractors Sichuan Road and Bridge Group, construction of Hongqi Bridge had been completed earlier this year. The collapse raises questions about infrastructure development in China's most challenging geographical areas.
In recent decades, China has pursued an ambitious construction programme in its mountainous regions, connecting remote towns and villages that previously took days to travel between. Just in September, China unveiled the world's tallest bridge in neighbouring Guizhou province, highlighting the scale of these engineering projects.
The incident at Hongqi Bridge represents a significant setback for infrastructure development in the region and will likely prompt investigations into construction standards and geological risk assessments in earthquake-prone areas.
