WATCH: China’s Newly Opened Hongqi Bridge Collapses In Massive Landslide; Viral Video | World News
A recently completed section of the Hongqi Bridge in southwestern China’s Sichuan province dramatically collapsed into a river following a massive landslide on Tuesday afternoon. Dramatic videos of the incident went viral on social media; It shows that the mountainside has collapsed and large parts of the concrete structure have collapsed.
The 758-meter-long bridge, a critical link of the national highway connecting central China to Tibet, was partially destroyed. Fortunately, local authorities confirmed that no casualties were reported due to timely intervention.
Bridge Closed Just Hours Before Collapse
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Fortunately, the bridge was closed to traffic before it collapsed, preventing a possible disaster. Authorities had detected warning signs the day before the malfunction.
Early Warning: Maerkang city police closed the Hongqi Bridge to all traffic on Monday afternoon after engineers detected cracks in nearby hillsides and roads and significant changes in the terrain on the adjacent mountain.
Worsening Conditions: Geological conditions deteriorated significantly on Tuesday, causing a massive landslide, officials said. The slide undermined the road base and structures supporting the approach bridge, causing catastrophic failure of the bridge.
Cited Geological Instability: Preliminary findings indicate that geological instability in the steep mountainous region, known for its history of landslides, was the direct cause of the collapse.
Questions Asked About New Infrastructure
The failure of the Hongqi Bridge, built by the state-backed Sichuan Road & Bridge Group and only completed earlier this year, has reignited concerns about the durability of new infrastructure in China’s rugged western provinces.
NEW: The 758-meter-long Hongqi bridge in China’s southwestern Sichuan province collapsed just a few months after it opened.
According to Reuters, construction of the Chinese bridge was completed at the beginning of this year.
It was reported that the bridge collapsed… pic.twitter.com/fyxMAW9JNN— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 11, 2025
Investigation Launched: The local government launched a detailed technical investigation to determine whether geological instability was the sole factor that caused the disaster or whether structural or engineering weaknesses were responsible. Broader Context: The incident comes just a few months after another high-profile infrastructure failure in China; In August, a railway bridge under construction in Qinghai province collapsed, killing at least 12 workers. The collapse of this critical transportation link would require a long detour that would disrupt travel and economic activities between Sichuan and the Tibetan Plateau.
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