No fewer than six people were killed, and 10 are missing after part of a bridge under construction collapsed on Friday in northwest China, state media reported.
According to a video released by state broadcaster CCTV, the middle of the bridge’s arch portion collapsed and plunged into the Yellow River below.
Xinhua, the state news agency, reported that the cause was a steel cable collapse.
According to the People’s Daily newspaper, 15 workmen and a project manager were on site at the time.
The publication initially claimed seven deaths, but subsequent sources put the total at six.
People’s Daily reports that the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway bridge is the world’s largest double-track continuous steel truss arch bridge.
It is also China’s first railway steel truss arch bridge over the Yellow River and the country’s second longest, according to the study.
Images provided by state media show the bridge half built, with the central portion missing, as well as two massive scaffolding towers and several cranes alongside it.
The search and rescue operation involved hundreds of rescue workers, according to Xinhua.
Industrial accidents are quite common in China due to ambiguous legislation and inadequate safety requirements.
In December of last year, 13 individuals were reported missing following a cave-in at a major railway construction site in Shenzhen, southern China. There were no reported survivors.
