An official from the government of Barkam county in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, confirmed to the Global Times on Tuesday evening that the Hongqi Bridge at the local Shuangjiangkou Hydropower Station had collapsed that afternoon, with no casualties reported as of now. 

Online circulating videos showed the bridge structure plunging into the river below, sending up a huge cloud of dust.

The official, who declined to be named, said that during a patrol on Monday, relevant personnel detected cracks on the road surface at the bridge head and the slope, and immediately imposed traffic controls.

At present, relevant departments have gone to the scene for further investigation, the official said.

A post released by the local government's official WeChat account on Tuesday morning said that the section of Hongqi bridge at Shuangjiangkou has been under temporary traffic control since Monday, as the road surface and slope at K381+030M of its right-bank bridge head have developed cracks, posing potential safety risks.

China Central Television (CCTV) News also reported on Tuesday evening that it learned from the local transportation bureau and public security bureau that at around 3 pm on Monday, the mountain slope on the right bank of Hongqi Bridge along G317 highway (near K381+030m) showed signs of deformation.

Relevant authorities immediately took temporary traffic control measures and issued a traffic control notice, per CCTV News.

The CCTV report said that at around 4 pm on Tuesday, due to worsening deformation and slope collapse, the roadbed and approach bridge in that section collapsed.

The entire incident resulted in no casualties, and vehicles are directed to follow the detour routes specified in the traffic control notice, CCTV News reported.