Shocking moment 758-meter-long bridge collapses months after opening
Topics: China, World News, Viral
Ellie Kemp
Featured Image Credit: BRICS News/X
Topics: China, World News, Viral
Video footage has captured the dramatic moment a 758-meter-long bridge collapsed in southwest China.
The Hongqi Bridge, located in Maerkang City, Sichuan, is part of National Highway 317, which links the Chinese province to Tibet.
It spans a gorge created by the Dadu River and the reservoir behind the Shuangjiangkou Dam. The structure fell through due to cracks and deformation in the surrounding rocks.
Slope deformation was first reported at 5.25pm on Monday (November 10). Authorities worked quickly to shut down the site, with the bridge and all stranded vehicles abandoned by 11pm.
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Warning signs were erected, and traffic notices were also issued, as reported by Sichuan Daily.
The bridge was completed earlier this year, according to reports (Zhang Jingfeng/VCG via Getty Images)
The shocking scenes unfolded on Tuesday (November 11), after cracks had appeared on slopes and roads on the right bank of the bridge, according to China Daily.
A landslide then caused a section of the bridge to crumble and fall into the dam below, sending dust and debris flying into the air.
The footage has since gone viral online. Nobody was injured, authorities have confirmed.
According to reports, the bridge had only been open for months. It is not known when the highway will reopen.
China is home to several record-breaking structures, and even beat its own record for the world's highest bridge back in September.
The Huajiang Canyon Bridge in Guizhou crosses the Beipan River as it passes through the deep Huajiang Canyon.
It measures up at a whopping 2,051 feet from the bridge deck to the bottom of the gorge.
That's almost double the height of New York's Empire State Building, which stands at 1,454 feet tall, including its spire and antenna.
The $280 million mega project has reduced commuters' journeys from 90 minutes to just 90 seconds, while still offering them breathtaking views.
If you have no reason to drive over the bridge, then you can opt to bungee jump off it; a nice touch added by the government to boost tourism in the area.
Thrills aside, you can also choose to take in the stunning countryside views from its purpose-built viewing platform.
The previous record for the highest bridge was set by the country's Beipanjiang Bridge when it opened in 2016.
Located on the border of Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, it soars 565.4 m above the Beipan River valley.
The county's Jiangsu Province, meanwhile, has boasted the world's longest bridge since 2010; the Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge.
Connecting the Beijing–Shanghai High‑Speed Railway between Danyang and Kunshan, it measures 164.8 km long.