Six people were killed and 10 remain missing after part of a bridge under construction collapsed on Friday in northwest China, state media reported.
Footage released by state broadcaster CCTV showed the arch section of the bridge suddenly giving way and plunging into the Yellow River below. The collapse was triggered by a steel cable failure, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The People’s Daily reported that 15 workers and a project manager were present at the construction site when the accident occurred. The newspaper initially put the death toll at seven before revising it to six.
The bridge, located on the Sichuan–Qinghai Railway, is being built as the world’s largest-span double-track continuous steel truss arch bridge. It is also China’s first railway steel truss arch bridge to span the Yellow River, the country’s second-longest waterway.
Images published by state media showed the partially built structure with its middle section missing, flanked by scaffolding towers and cranes.
Hundreds of rescue personnel were mobilized to search for the missing workers, Xinhua said, as investigations into the cause of the collapse continue.
