A newly opened 758-meter bridge collapsed in China
A section of a recently opened bridge collapsed in southwest China’s Sichuan province on Tuesday.
Police had closed the 758-meter-long bridge on Monday after cracks appeared on the surrounding slopes and roads.
Thanks to this measure, no one was killed in the accident, Reuters reports.
On Monday around 3 p.m. local time, inspectors discovered a crack about 10 centimeters wide in the bridge’s access road. Other cracks appeared in the slope on the right bank, indicating a risk of landslides.
Three hours later, authorities closed the bridge to all traffic, Reuters reports.
On Tuesday, part of the bridge finally collapsed into the Zumuzu River.
According to the official report, the preliminary cause of the collapse was the deformation of the right-bank slope, which triggered a landslide.
The bridge is part of a national highway connecting the center of the country with the Tibet region.
Nearby is the Shuangjiangkou Hydropower Station. It is 758 meters long and the height of the main pillar is 172 meters.
It was completed and opened in January this year.
