A section of the Hongqi Bridge in Maerkang, Sichuan Province, partially collapsed on Tuesday afternoon, just months after its completion. The 758-meter-long bridge, part of China’s National Highway 317 that connects the country’s heartland with Tibet, gave way following a series of landslides triggered by mountain slope failures. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported.
Early Warning Signs and Emergency Measures
According to local authorities, early warning signs appeared on Monday when visible cracks and slope deformation were detected near the bridge. Police immediately shut down traffic and issued safety alerts. Emergency response teams from the transportation, public security, and natural resources departments were quickly dispatched to the scene. By late Monday night, all vehicles were safely evacuated, and the area was cordoned off to prevent accidents.
Terrain Shifts and Landslides Cause Collapse
However, the situation worsened by Tuesday afternoon as the mountain terrain continued to shift. The resulting landslides caused a major portion of the bridge’s approach and roadbed to collapse, creating large plumes of dust and debris. Videos going around on Chinese social media show the moment the structure gave way. These videos show how strong the landslide was that made the bridge’s base unstable.
Concerns Over Construction and Stability
There was confirmation from officials that the Sichuan Road & Bridge Group had built the bridge earlier this year. The collapse has made many worry about the geology and stability of the ground around it, especially in hilly areas where landslides happen a lot.
Highway Closure and Traffic Diversion
The local authority has indicated that the highway will be closed unless they say differently. The damaged section has been shifted to certain alternate paths. All traffic on the affected part has been sent to the alternate routes that were specified. The exact reason of the collapse is still being looked into, as well as the safety of other nearby infrastructure.
Authorities say that lives could have been saved by evacuating and controlling traffic in a timely manner. For now, the repair work is mostly about getting rid of the debris and making the slopes around the area more stable so that similar accidents don’t happen again.
