Footage has captured the moment a new bridge dramatically collapsed in China, sending massive concrete blocks plunging into the river below.
The 2,487-foot-long structure in the south-west Sichuan province was closed on Monday after cracks appeared on nearby slopes and roads.
The mountainside next to the Hongqi Bridge deteriorated, leading to landslides.
Construction was completed in the city of Maerkang earlier this year, connecting the country’s heartland with Tibet via a national highway.
No casualties were reported.
Video of the collapse shows the tranquil landscape of the mountain range and glistening river being spoiled as clouds of dust plume from the wreck of the bridge.
The footage also captured the slabs of concrete falling on top of each other down the mountain and into the water.
The thick dust clouds blanketed the area where the bridge had stood just seconds before.
More than half of the white stone bridge remained standing.
As the dust began to settle, the devastation started to reveal itself with piles of rubble appearing on the mountainsides.
Authorities in Sichuan are still investigating the cause of the collapse, according to NBC News.
The Hongqi Bridge was completed in approximately 19 months, according to the local government’s website, as cited by The Washington Post.
A similar project in the US was the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge in St Louis, which spans roughly 2,800 feet.
The design of the US bridge took two years to develop and four years to construct, culminating in its completion in 2014.
Interestingly, the cost of the Hongqi project was only about $1.3 million, while the Stan Musial, which is only about 300 feet longer, was roughly $239 million.
However, the bridge in St Louis celebrated its 10th anniversary last year.
Bridge collapses in China have been an ongoing issue in recent months and years. On August 12, workers were killed on the Sichuan-Qinghai railway when it collapsed.
An additional structure incident happened during a flood in 2024, which killed 11 people during the partial collapse of a highway bridge in Shaanxi province.
However, China has made significant leaps in its infrastructure, including the addition of the world’s tallest bridge this year.
The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, opened in June, is under two miles in length but will slash travel time across the gorge from over an hour to just a few minutes.
Situated 2,050ft above river level, it will be almost 656ft higher than the Empire State Building.
Soaring above the Beipan River, the engineering feat will allow motorists to reach chilling heights as they cross the 22,000-ton bridge.
Work started on the ambitious project in 2022 to create a motorway connecting the Liuzhi and Anlong areas in the southwestern Guizhou Province.
Three years later – at the cost of $283.4million – officials hope the completed bridge will boost tourism and the local economy.
In addition to being the world’s tallest, it is also the world’s largest span bridge built in a mountainous area, spanning 4,650ft.
With 92.5 per cent of its land covered by mountains and hills, the region has built nearly 30,000 bridges since the late 1970s and is now home to nearly half of the world’s 100 tallest bridges.
