BEIJING: Twelve people have been confirmed dead with four others missing after a bridge under construction collapsed in northwest China on Friday.
State media reported the incident occurred when the middle section of the bridge’s arch suddenly gave way and plunged into the Yellow River below.
The cause of the collapse was identified as a steel cable failure according to the state news agency Xinhua.
Fifteen workers and one project manager were present on-site at the time of the accident according to the People’s Daily newspaper.
Rescue operations involving hundreds of personnel have been mobilised to search for the four missing individuals.
The bridge forms part of the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway and is described as the world’s largest-span double-track continuous steel truss arch bridge.
It represents China’s first railway steel truss arch bridge designed to span the Yellow River, the country’s second-longest waterway.
Images from state media show the partially constructed bridge with its central section completely missing amid scaffolding towers and cranes.
Industrial accidents remain relatively common in China, often attributed to inadequate safety standards and regulatory enforcement.
This incident follows a December cave-in at a Shenzhen railway construction site that left thirteen people missing without any survivors. – AFP
