Six people have died and 10 others are missing after a section of a bridge under construction collapsed on Friday in northwest China, according to state media reports.
The incident occurred on the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway, where the structure is billed as the world’s largest-span double-track continuous steel truss arch bridge and the first of its kind to span the Yellow River, China’s second-longest river.
A video released by state broadcaster CCTV showed the bridge’s central arch section suddenly giving way and plunging into the river below. Xinhua News Agency reported that the cause of the collapse was linked to a steel cable failure.
At the time of the accident, 15 workers and a project manager were on-site, according to People’s Daily. Initial reports put the death toll at seven, later revised to six.
Images published in Chinese media revealed the partially built bridge with its middle section missing, flanked by scaffolding towers and cranes. Hundreds of rescue workers have been deployed as the search continues for those missing.
Industrial accidents remain common in China, often attributed to weak enforcement of safety standards. In December 2024, a cave-in at a Shenzhen railway construction site left 13 workers missing, with no survivors reported.
