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That is the terrifying moment a bridge in southwestern China crumbled to pieces in a landslide.
A part of the recently opened Hongqi bridge, in Sichuan, collapsed along a highway linking China’s heartland with Tibet on Tuesday (November 11).
The 758-metre-long structure was closed by police on Monday afternoon after cracks appeared on nearby slopes and roads.
The local government said shifts were seen within the terrain of a mountain, adding that on Tuesday conditions worsened as landslides were triggered. No casualties have been reported.
The astonishing footage, which has racked up greater than half 1,000,000 views thus far on X (formerly Twitter), showed the moment the approach to the bridge crumbled as debris was scattered across the mountainside and river below.
Clouds of dust might be seen filling the air before the bridge columns gave way and your entire structure was razed to the bottom.
Debris crashed to the bottom with an almighty thunder as onlookers filmed the bridge’s collapse.
Hongqi, which opened to the general public on September 28, measured 625m from the bridge deck to the underside of the gorge.
One X user said: ‘The reason for the crash is suspected to be cracks within the adjoining mountainside, induced by water accumulation and pressure from the nearby Shuangjiangkou reservoir, which triggered the landslide.
‘The rising water levels within the reservoir—likely exacerbated by recent heavy rainfall within the region—weakened the unstable rock formations, resulting in a sudden rockfall and debris slide that struck the bridge’s right span and piers.’
One other said: ‘The Hongqi Bridge in Shuangjiangkou, Sichuan Province, China, partially collapsed today.
‘Preliminary reports suggest cracks within the mountainside attributable to water storage at a close-by reservoir contributed to the collapse.’
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