It happened in less than five seconds. One moment, Chongqing’s busiest bridge was carrying buses, cars, and motorcycles across the Qingshui River. The next, it was gone. The sound came first, a sharp crack, like a gunshot echoing off the water. Then a low, violent groan, as if the steel itself was crying out. And before anyone could even scream, the central span — the lifeline of this city’s morning commute — had snapped in half. It was just after 10:47 a.m. A clear Wednesday morning. No storm. No warning. Only a sudden, catastrophic failure… captured on camera from half a dozen angles, each freezing the exact moment the city’s daily rhythm was ripped apart.
