On Wednesday evening, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport issued a statement via its official WeChat account. According to the statement, an initial analysis of the structural damage to the Chaobaihe Bridge in Shunyi district suggested that a cable fire was the culprit.
The statement elaborated that the root cause was a fire in the cables laid within the trench. This fire led to the fracture of the bridge’s tie rods, which then set off a chain reaction. As a result, the suspender rods broke, causing the bridge’s structural load – bearing capacity to fail and ultimately leading to the collapse of its main span.
The statement also noted that the exact causes would be further determined through comprehensive testing and investigation.
After the incident occurred, the Beijing Municipal Government, as reported by the commission, formed a task force to probe into the accident. Moreover, immediate citywide inspections of externally attached cables on all bridges would be carried out to detect any potential risks.
A fire erupted on the Chaobaihe Bridge on Wednesday morning, damaging the bridge’s structure. To guarantee safety, two – way traffic on the bridge was blocked, the commission stated.
In a post on China’s social media platform Sina Weibo, the commission announced that the fire had been put out. Fortunately, there were no reports of casualties or vehicle damage. Currently, the cause of the incident is still under investigation.
Traffic departments have taken detour measures to regulate vehicle flow. The post advised drivers to take alternative routes, such as Shunping auxiliary road or Shunping south road.
On Wednesday morning, the commission said that emergency response teams from transportation, firefighting, traffic police, and local authorities were promptly sent to the scene. They were working hard to extinguish the fire and manage traffic, and as of then, no casualties had been reported.
Subsequently, the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau announced on Weibo that there was currently temporary construction on the Shunping Road section of the Chaobaihe Bridge.
