Major Chinese bridge collapses into river just months after opening to traffic

A monolithic span astatine a hydropower presumption successful southwest China collapsed Tuesday, sending factual and alloy plunging into a stream conscionable months aft it opened, according to Chinese authorities media.

Reuters reported that an authoritative from Barkam County confirmed the illness to the Chinese state-run Global Times, saying nary casualties had been reported.

The study added that cracks were detected a time earlier connected the bridge’s roadworthy aboveground and slope, prompting authorities to enforce impermanent postulation controls.

Footage of the collapse, shared wide connected Chinese societal media, showed the Hongqi Bridge successful Sichuan Province buckling earlier falling into the stream below, kicking up a monolithic unreality of dust.

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Dust and debris roseate implicit the gorge aft the Hongqi Bridge gave mode successful Sichuan Province connected Nov. 11, 2025, pursuing reports of cracks a time earlier. (Reuters)

The incidental occurred astir 3 p.m. section clip adjacent the G317 nationalist highway, according to China Central Television (CCTV) News.

Local proscription and nationalist information bureaus said the right-bank slope of the span showed signs of deformation Monday afternoon, conscionable hours earlier the collapse.

Authorities rapidly unopen down the operation to each postulation and issued a nationalist announcement informing of imaginable information risks.

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The Hongqi Bridge adjacent a hydropower presumption successful southwest China collapsed into the stream beneath connected Nov. 11, 2025, successful a melodramatic nonaccomplishment that was caught connected camera. (Reuters)

According to Times Now, the Hongqi Bridge was located successful Sichuan Province’s mountainous Maerkang country and completed earlier this twelvemonth arsenic portion of the G317 nationalist highway—an important way connecting cardinal China to Tibet.

The 758-meter-long, cantilevered two-lane beam span stood astir 625 meters supra the gorge floor, with piers reaching up to 172 meters successful height. It was built by the state-backed Sichuan Road & Bridge Group arsenic portion of efforts to grow entree to the Tibetan Plateau.

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Sections of the Hongqi Bridge fell into the stream during a catastrophic illness successful Sichuan’s Maerkang country connected Nov. 11, 2025, prompting an contiguous investigation. (Reuters)

The bridge’s operation was portion of a broader authorities propulsion to amended connectivity and spur economical maturation crossed occidental China’s rugged terrain, Times Now reported.

It was intended to service arsenic a awesome of the country’s infrastructure ambitions but had lone reopened to postulation a fewer months earlier the collapse—marking a short-lived section for what was meant to showcase China’s engineering progress.

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State-run outlets person not yet identified the origin of the collapse, though aboriginal assessments suggest geological instability whitethorn person played a role. No vehicles oregon pedestrians were connected the span astatine the time, officials said, and investigations are underway.

Reuters contributed to this report.