Horrific Scene as Newly Built China Bridge Collapses

A newly completed bridge in China’s southwestern Sichuan province partially collapsed on November 11 after a landslide, authorities said. 

The 758-metre-long Hongqi Bridge in Maerkang city, which carries National Highway G317 linking central China with Tibet, had opened only months ago.

The city’s police closed the bridge on the afternoon of November 10 after cracks were spotted in nearby slopes and shifts were observed in the mountain terrain. The following day, the mountainside gave way, causing part of the bridge and its roadbed to collapse.

A video circulated online by the contractor, Sichuan Road & Bridge Group, shows a large plume of dust rising as the bridge piers and approach deck fell. 

China Daily reported that the collapse produced “a large amount of smoke and dust,” though no vehicles or pedestrians were on the bridge at the time.

The Hongqi Bridge, with piers reaching 232 metres in height and a main span of 220 metres, was described by its builder as an engineering highlight. 

Designed to withstand earthquakes of up to magnitude 8.0, it was intended to improve connectivity along the G317 corridor, easing travel between the Tibet and China’s interior.

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The Shuangjiangkou Dam, the world’s tallest hydroelectric power dam at nearly 315 metres, has been linked to recent geological disturbances in the region. 

According to the Tibetan American Network, sources in Tibet report that these disturbances occurred shortly after a completion ceremony for the dam on November 9, just two days before the bridge collapsed.

The dam began filling on May 1, flooding an old G317 highway crossing. On November 11, landslides from unstable slopes caused the approach bridge and roadbed to collapse.

Video footage shows the slope deformation leading to the landslide, which destroyed bridge piers and decks and produced significant smoke and dust.

The destruction has left authorities with a lengthy and costly restoration ahead, with no timeline yet announced, leaving local and regional travel routes heavily affected.

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