Steel truss being launched over a Chinese expressway falls onto traffic, injuring four

The district government said the span came down at 10:50 a.m. during incremental launching of the steel truss at marker K105+550, on the Cangzhou-bound side. Video described by The Paper shows the twisted truss lying across the lanes and a red truck with its cab badly crushed. China's national road network service reported the G1812 expressway closed in both directions at the site as of 12:36 p.m., with no reopening time. About an hour later, local traffic police said the span was still on the road and crews were waiting for cranes.

The crossing carries Baoding's Southern Third Ring Road, a 21.8-kilometer, six-lane road the city is building through the Lianchi and Qingyuan districts. On Nov. 6, the Hebei provincial government's website called the expressway crossing the last major piece of the ring road, United Daily News and China Times reported. Wang Ming, a deputy general manager at a design subsidiary of Baoding Jiaofa Group, was quoted as saying the longitudinal push was almost finished and the road could open within days once the truss was shifted sideways into place.

Officials have not said what failed, which contractor was running the launch or whether traffic below was supposed to be stopped during the push. The district said a cause investigation is under way. China Times noted that online videos led to claims of deaths that officials have not confirmed; the official count stands at four injured.