At least 12 people died while four others went missing after a part of an under-construction bridge in China collapsed on Friday, state media reported. The video shared by the state media showed the bridge suddenly breaking from the middle, and a part of it then fell into the Yellow River below.
Global Times said that incident happened after a construction cable on the Jianzha Yellow River Bridge along the Qinghai section of the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway in China snapped while under construction. The incident has led to 12 death, and four others have gone missing.
🇨🇳 — CHINA: A bridge under construction on a railway collapsed yesterday in Qinghai Province in China after a cable snapped, killing 7 and leaving 9 missing. pic.twitter.com/MVTn3W9Bwo
— Belaaz News (@TheBelaaz) August 22, 2025
16 people were on site
Fifteen workers and a project manager were on-site at the time of the mishap, reported CBS News, citing The People’s Daily newspaper. The death toll was initially reported as seven, but state TV doubled the toll, CBS News added.
The collapse occurred following a rupture during the steel strand tensioning operation on the bridge. Xinhua news agency said the rupture caused the 108-meter steel beam main arch rib to collapse.
Mass rescue ops underway
According to state media CCTV News, a total of 91 vehicles have been engaged in a major rescue operation at the site. Apart from this, 27 boats, 1 helicopter, 5 robots, and 806 personnel have also been deployed for the rescue work. Six hospitals have opened green channels for treatment, the media report said.
It added that the Ministry of Emergency Management has also sent a work team to guide the rescue and response efforts.
Last year in December, 13 people went missing after a cave-in at a construction site for a major railway in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. None of them reportedly survived. CBS News stated that industrial accidents are quite frequent in China because of vague regulations and lenient safety standards.