Section of new bridge collapses in China’s Sichuan province

A section of a newly opened bridge collapsed in a mountainous area of Sichuan province in southwestern China on Tuesday, with no casualties reported.

Videos circulating on social media showed part of the Shuangjiangkou Hongqi Bridge over a river in the city of Maerkang give way, unleashing a thick cloud of dust and debris.

The bridge was completed in January this year but officials denied that the collapse was a result of poor construction. Authorities in Maerkang and the wider Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture attributed the failure to a landslide at one end of the bridge.

The bridge had been closed to traffic a day before the collapse after local authorities identified a 10cm (4-inch) crack in the structure, the government said, adding that there were no casualties.

01:03

Bridge in southwest China partially collapses 10 months after opening

Bridge in southwest China partially collapses 10 months after opening

Investigators have been sent to the site to determine the cause of the failure.