Cracks in the asphalt New highway bridge in China collapses
Deformations on the mountainside, cracks in the asphalt - and then it happens fast: a highway bridge suddenly collapses in southwest China. How did it happen?
12.11.2025, 05:04
12.11.2025, 07:26
dpa
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- A new bridge in southwest China has collapsed after a landslide.
- Part of the more than 750-metre-long Hongqi highway bridge collapsed on one of the two sides of the river.
- No one was apparently injured in the incident on Tuesday afternoon (local time).
A new bridge has collapsed in southwest China following a landslide. A section of the more than 750-metre-long Hongqi (red flag) highway bridge collapsed on one of the two sides of the river, according to the authorities in the city of Barkam in Sichuan province. No one was injured in the incident on Tuesday afternoon (local time), as the bridge was already closed to traffic.
Footage on China's social media and on Chinese state television showed how pillars near the riverbank gave way and part of the bridge tore off. This was followed by a thick cloud of dust.
Cracks in the asphalt
According to the authorities, the mountainside near the bridge had already deformed before the accident. During an inspection on Monday, cracks were discovered in the road surface. As a result, the bridge on the section of the 317 freeway was initially closed indefinitely. Traffic was diverted.
The Hongqi Bridge is located not far from the Shuangjiangkou hydropower plant currently under construction in the Ngawa Autonomous District of the Tibetan and Qiang people. The 172-metre-high structure spans the Dadu River, which runs through the area. According to the construction company, the gap in the middle of the bridge was only closed in January of this year, completing the construction. Further investigations into the bridge collapse are ongoing, as reported by the state news agency Xinhua.
