Twelve workers have been confirmed dead and four others remain missing following the collapse of a railway bridge under construction on Friday in northwest China, according to an updated report from state television CCTV.
A video released by CCTV shows the moment the bridge buckled in its middle during the night, causing a significant section of the structure to plunge into the Yellow River several dozen meters below.
Fifteen workers, along with a project manager, were present at the site, as reported by the People’s Daily. CCTV indicates that the fate of two of these individuals is still unknown. Earlier reports had claimed that seven people had died and nine were unaccounted for.
Media sources have suggested that one or more steel construction cables may have snapped. The Jianzha Bridge, located on the Sichuan-Qinghai line, is described as the longest double-track truss arch bridge in the world and the first of its kind to span the Yellow River, according to the People’s Daily.
Hundreds of rescuers, including firefighters and police, have been engaged in the rescue operations, as reported by the Xinhua News Agency.
Workplace accidents are prevalent in China, a vast nation with countless construction sites and factories, where safety standards can sometimes be insufficient.
Last December, thirteen individuals went missing after a collapse occurred at the construction site of a major railway line in Shenzhen, a southern metropolis. No survivors were reported in that incident.
