Deformations in mountain slopes, cracks in the asphalt – then it happened quickly: a highway bridge suddenly collapsed in southwest China. How could this happen?
A new bridge collapsed after a landslide in southwest China. A portion of the more than 750-meter-long Hongqi (Red Flag) highway bridge collapsed on one of two sides of the river, authorities in the city of Barkam in Sichuan province said. There were no casualties in the incident on Tuesday afternoon (local time) because the bridge had been closed to traffic.
Footage on Chinese social media and state television showed pillars near the coast toppled and parts of a bridge collapsing. A thick cloud of dust then rose.
Cracks in asphalt
As authorities further explained, the mountain slopes near the bridge had deformed before the accident occurred. During an inspection on Monday, cracks were found on the road. As a result, the bridge on the Autobahn 317 section was initially closed indefinitely. Traffic was diverted.
The Hongqi Bridge is located not far from the Shuangjiangkou Hydroelectric Power Plant, which is under construction in the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. This 172 meter high structure stretches along the Dadu River which runs through it. According to the construction company, the gap in the middle of the bridge was only closed in January this year so that construction was completed. Further investigations into the bridge collapse are underway, Xinhua news agency reported.
