(Screengrab via X)
The Hongqi Bridge in Shuangjiangkou, Sichuan Province, China, partially collapsed today. Authorities believe that cracks in the nearby mountainside — likely caused by water accumulation from a nearby reservoir — played a major role in the incident. pic.twitter.com/v1bdbj5KLJ
— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) November 11, 2025
Viral footage captured the dramatic collapse of a newly constructed bridge in China’s Sichuan province on Tuesday, just months after it officially opened.
The 758-meter Hongqi Bridge, part of a key national highway linking China’s interior with Tibet, gave way after heavy landslides hit the surrounding mountainside, authorities in Maerkang city told Reuters.
Social media videos show the bridge breaking apart, with dust rising as sections of the roadway plummeted hundreds of meters. Additional images reveal large portions of the bridge missing, while the remaining road hangs precariously over the river. Rescue teams and inspectors quickly cordoned off the area. Police had closed the bridge to traffic on Monday afternoon, citing cracks in nearby slopes and visible ground shifts that indicated instability.
By Tuesday afternoon, worsening conditions on the mountainside triggered landslides that led to the collapse of the bridge’s approach and roadbed, local officials said in a statement.
Authorities confirmed that no injuries or fatalities have been reported.
The Hongqi Bridge, completed earlier this year, was designed to improve connections between Sichuan and the Tibetan Plateau. Promotional footage from its contractor, Sichuan Road & Bridge Group, had celebrated the bridge as a major engineering achievement when it opened.