A newly inaugurated highway bridge in southwest China’s Sichuan province collapsed dramatically into a river after being severely affected by landslides—just months after opening to traffic.
Fortunately, no casualties were reported as the bridge had already been closed to vehicles due to safety concerns.
According to International media reports, inspection teams discovered a long, narrow crack on a nearby mountainside earlier this week, indicating signs of serious geological instability.
The 758-metre-long Hongqi Bridge, located in western Sichuan, formed part of a national highway linking China’s heartland with Tibet. Following the discovery of the cracks, authorities swiftly restricted access, evacuated stranded vehicles, and issued warnings to prevent unauthorized entry.
Video footage circulating online shows one of the bridge’s abutments near the mountain slope crumbling as a landslide swept away its foundations. The bridge, constructed by Sichuan Road and Bridge Group, had only been completed earlier this year.
The incident has reignited concerns about the structural integrity of China’s rapidly expanding infrastructure network, following several similar collapses in recent years. Despite significant investment in large-scale projects over the past decade, the sudden failure of the Hongqi Bridge underscores the ongoing risks posed by challenging terrain and geological instability in mountainous regions.
Authorities have launched a technical investigation into the collapse as questions mount over construction standards and long-term safety oversight.
