Rocks and debris could be seen cascading down the mountain slope and wiping out the roadway
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Stunning video shared to social media shows a massive landslide cause the new Hongqi Bridge in a mountainous region of China to partially collapse Tuesday afternoon.
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The bridge in Sichuan, which is part of a national highway that connects central China to Tibet, was damaged just months after it opened.
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Authorities in Maerkang city said in a statement that no casualties or injuries were reported, reports China Daily.
The bridge, which spans 758 metres over a river, had been closed on Monday as a precaution after officials detected a slope deformation and shifting terrain on the right bank.
Further inspection revealed cracks in the road and local authorities activated an emergency response, with warning signs and a traffic control notice to alert the public.
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By Tuesday, authorities said the slope showed further deterioration, which eventually triggered a landslide.
In the video shared online, rocks and debris are seen cascading down the mountain slope and wiping out the roadway and part of the bridge in a large plume of smoke.
After the dust clears, parts of the highway and its pillars are seen on the ground as the rest of the bridge was left untouched.
Officials didn’t give a timeline on when the bridge would be repaired. Motorists were informed of detour routes by local authorities.
Not the first infrastructure failure
This is the second high profile infrastructure failure in China in recent months.
A railway bridge under construction collapsed and killed 12 workers in the northwestern province of Qinghai on Aug. 22.
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The Business & Human Rights Centre said a section of the railway failed over the Yellow River as workers were carrying out a tensioning operation when a steel cable snapped.
According to a surveillance video, the middle portion of the bridge fell into the river as the top of the bridge sparked.
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It is described as the largest-span double-track railway steel truss arch bridge in the world and is being built to connect the Sichuan-Qinghai high-speed rail line to Tibet.
Meanwhile in India, a bridge collapsed over a river in Gujarat state in July, killing 11 people. A 12th victim died of his injuries weeks later.
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