12 dead, 4 missing after bridge collapses in China
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The cause of the collapse of the bridge on the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway was a steel cable failure, state news agency Xinhua said.
PHOTO: XINHUA
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BEIJING – Twelve people were killed and four are missing after part of a bridge under construction collapsed on Aug 22 in north-west China, the state media reported.
A video published by state broadcaster CCTV showed the middle of the bridge’s arch section suddenly giving way and plunging into the waters of the Yellow River below.
The cause was a steel cable failure, state news agency Xinhua said.
The People’s Daily newspaper said 15 workers and a project manager were on-site at the time.
Twelve people have been confirmed dead, reported China Daily.
Four people are still missing.
The bridge on the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway is the world’s largest-span double-track continuous steel truss arch bridge, according to People’s Daily.
It is also China’s first railway steel truss arch bridge spanning the Yellow River – the country’s second longest – the report said.
Images published by the state media show the partially built bridge, its middle section missing and two giant scaffolding towers and several cranes alongside it.
Hundreds of rescue workers were mobilised for the search and rescue operation, Xinhua said.
Industrial accidents are fairly common in China due to vague regulations and lax safety standards.
In December 2024, 13 people went missing after a cave-in at a construction site for a major railway in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. There were no reports of survivors. AFP
