Video shows collapse of newly built bridge in China

A newly built bridge partially collapsed in southwest China on Tuesday, sending large pieces of concrete plunging far below in a cloud of dust.

HONG KONG — A newly built bridge partially collapsed in southwest China on Tuesday, sending large pieces of concrete plunging far below in a cloud of dust.

Authorities said the 2,487-foot-long Hongqi Bridge, which connects Sichuan province with Tibet as part of a national highway, was closed on Monday after cracks began to appear on nearby slopes and roads in the mountainous region.

On Tuesday, a landslide caused the bridge to fracture and collapse, according to officials in the Sichuan city of Ma’erkang, also known in Tibetan as Barkam.

A still from a social media video showing the Hongqi Bridge collapsing.ReutersThere were no reported casualties from the incident. The cause is still being investigated by authorities in Sichuan, a seismically active region where a 7.9-magnitude earthquake killed more than 69,000 people in 2008.

NBC News has verified videos widely shared on Chinese social media that show the bridge collapse and its aftermath.