HONG KONG — A newly built bridge partially collapsed in southwest China on Tuesday, sending large pieces of concrete plunging far below in a cloud of dust.
Authorities said the 2,487-foot-long Hongqi Bridge, which connects Sichuan province with Tibet as part of a national highway, was closed on Monday after cracks began to appear on nearby slopes and roads in the mountainous region.
On Tuesday, a landslide caused the bridge to fracture and collapse, according to officials in the Sichuan city of Ma’erkang, also known in Tibetan as Barkam.
There were no reported casualties from the incident. The cause is still being investigated by authorities in Sichuan, a seismically active region where a 7.9-magnitude earthquake killed more than 69,000 people in 2008.
NBC News has verified videos widely shared on Chinese social media that show the bridge collapse and its aftermath.
Construction of the bridge was only completed earlier this year, local media reported.
China has in recent years made massive investments in infrastructure, including roads, railways and bridges.
In September, the world’s highest bridge opened in the southern province of Guizhou, taking the crown from another bridge in the same province.
In July 2024, Chinese authorities said at least 11 people died in a partial collapse of a highway bridge in the northwest province of Shaanxi.
