A significant infrastructure failure occurred in southwest China on Tuesday when a large bridge at a hydropower station collapsed, just months after its inauguration, according to reports from Chinese state media.

Authorities in Barkam County confirmed the incident to the Chinese state-run Global Times, stating that, fortunately, there have been no reports of casualties. The collapse involved a concrete and steel structure, which plummeted into the river below.

Prior to the bridge’s failure, cracks had been discovered on its road surface and its supporting slope. This led officials to implement temporary traffic restrictions as a precautionary measure, according to the report.

The dramatic scene of the Hongqi Bridge in Sichuan Province giving way was captured on video and has been widely circulated on Chinese social media. The footage depicts the bridge buckling and then collapsing into the river, generating a large cloud of dust and debris.

The Hongqi Bridge’s collapse on November 11, 2025, has been a topic of significant concern, especially given the reports of visible cracks just a day before the incident. This event has sparked discussions about infrastructure safety and oversight in the region.

The incident occurred around 3 p.m. local time near the G317 national highway, according to China Central Television (CCTV) News.

Local transportation and public security bureaus said the right-bank slope of the bridge showed signs of deformation Monday afternoon, just hours before the collapse.

Authorities quickly shut down the structure to all traffic and issued a public notice warning of potential safety risks.

The Hongqi Bridge near a hydropower station in southwest China collapsed into the river below on Nov. 11, 2025, in a dramatic failure that was caught on camera. (Reuters)

According to Times Now, the Hongqi Bridge was located in Sichuan Province’s mountainous Maerkang area and completed earlier this year as part of the G317 national highway—an important route connecting central China to Tibet.

The 758-meter-long, cantilevered two-lane beam bridge stood roughly 625 meters above the gorge floor, with piers reaching up to 172 meters in height. It was built by the state-backed Sichuan Road & Bridge Group as part of efforts to expand access to the Tibetan Plateau.

Sections of the Hongqi Bridge fell into the river during a catastrophic collapse in Sichuan’s Maerkang area on Nov. 11, 2025, prompting an immediate investigation. (Reuters)

The bridge’s construction was part of a broader government push to improve connectivity and spur economic growth across western China’s rugged terrain, Times Now reported.

It was intended to serve as a symbol of the country’s infrastructure ambitions but had only reopened to traffic a few months before the collapse—marking a short-lived chapter for what was meant to showcase China’s engineering progress.

State-run outlets have not yet identified the cause of the collapse, though early assessments suggest geological instability may have played a role. No vehicles or pedestrians were on the bridge at the time, officials said, and investigations are underway.