Overview
- Local officials said a section of the 758‑metre Hongqi Bridge on National Highway G317 in Maerkang, Sichuan, fell into the river Tuesday after worsening mountainside conditions triggered landslides.
- Police shut the bridge to traffic on Monday after detecting cracks on nearby slopes and shifts in the terrain, evacuating vehicles and preventing injuries or deaths.
- Footage of the collapse widely shared on Chinese social media has been verified by NBC News, showing the approach span and roadbed giving way.
- Traffic has been rerouted and emergency teams remain on site to monitor slope stability, with no timetable announced for reopening the route.
- Completed earlier in 2025 by Sichuan Road & Bridge Group and located near the Shuangjiangkou hydropower project, the bridge is now the subject of a formal technical investigation into geological, hydrological and potential engineering factors.