WATCH: Entire Section of China’s Newly Opened Bridge Collapses, Crashing Into River Below

(Screengrab via X)

Viral footage captured the moment that an entire section of a newly constructed bridge in China’s Sichuan province collapsed Tuesday, just months after it officially opened.

The 758-metre Hongqi Bridge, part of a major national highway linking China’s interior with Tibet, gave way after heavy landslides struck the surrounding mountainside, authorities in Maerkang city told Reuters.

Videos circulating on social media show the moment the bridge gave way, with dust billowing upward before the road fell hundreds of meters.

Other images and video show large sections of the bridge missing and the remaining roadway hanging over the river, as rescue and inspection crews cordoned off the area. Police had already closed the bridge to all traffic on Monday afternoon, warning of cracks on nearby slopes and visible ground shifts that signaled instability.

By Tuesday afternoon, conditions on the mountainside worsened, triggering landslides, leading to the collapse of the approach bridge and roadbed, according to a statement from the local government.

Officials added that there were no reports of injuries or fatalities.

The Hongqi Bridge, built to strengthen connections between Sichuan and the Tibetan Plateau, was completed earlier this year. Promotional footage posted online by its contractor, Sichuan Road & Bridge Group, showed the structure’s opening celebrated as a local engineering milestone.

Authorities said the investigation into the cause of the failure is underway.