Mountain slams onto newly built Chinese bridge triggering a collapse - 'No bridge could...'

The Hongqi Bridge, which was completed only a few months ago, collapsed following a landslide. Dramatic videos of the incident show a part of the bridge crashing down into the river as debris and rubble from the mountain slam into the bridge. The Hongqi Bridge was part of a highway that links Sichuan and the nation’s heartland with Tibet. It is built on a mountain in China’s southwestern province of Sichuan. As the bridge collapsed, a huge amount of dust went flying into a large area around it. The police had noticed cracks on nearby slopes and roads above the bridge, leading to the immediate shutdown of traffic in Maerkang to avoid any untoward incident. No casualties were reported.

The 2,500-foot bridge fell victim to worsening weather on Tuesday. It was built to provide an easier connection between Sichuan and the Tibetan Plateau. The timely observation of cracks in the slopes and roads near the bridge proved crucial in avoiding any loss of life. The Hongqi Bridge opened to the public on September 28. It measured 2050 feet from the base of the bridge to the bottom of the gorge. The bridge is located near the Shuangjiangku Hydropower Station and the dam is being built on a gorge on the Dadu River. The dam has been under construction for nearly a decade. Upon completion, it will be the tallest dam in the world.

Social media users were quick to slam China's official who built the bridge, saying it appears the "the foundation on the mountain was not deep & strong enough." One said that since the bridge was built on a mountain, they needed to build a stronger foundation. However, others jumped in to China's defence, saying, "What we are seeing is a mountain crashing onto a bridge," and "No bridge could withstand a landslide like this."