A bridge collapse that occurred on Friday in northwest China has resulted in significant loss of life.

According to state media reports, twelve individuals have been confirmed deceased, with an additional four still missing following the structural failure.

The incident took place during the construction phase of a bridge on the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway, which is intended to become the world's largest-span double-track continuous steel truss arch bridge once completed.

The collapse was attributed to the failure of a steel cable, as reported by state news agency Xinhua.

At the time of the incident, it is believed that 15 workers and one project manager were present on-site.

The bridge in question would have been a remarkable engineering achievement upon completion, marking China's first railway steel truss arch bridge to span the Yellow River, which is the country's second-longest river.

Images published by state media outlets depict the partially constructed bridge with its middle section completely missing, revealing two giant scaffolding towers and several cranes in proximity.

A swift mobilization of hundreds of rescue workers was initiated following the collapse, as per Xinhua’s report.

This effort aims to locate any survivors among the missing and retrieve bodies from the site.

This tragedy underscores a recurring issue with industrial accidents in China, often attributed to insufficient regulatory clarity and inadequate safety protocols.

The recent cave-in at a construction site in Shenzhen, which occurred last December, resulted in 13 individuals going missing without any reports of survivors.

This emphasizes the need for improved safety standards within China's construction industry.