Part of a recently opened bridge have collapsed in China's southwestern province of Sichuan along a highway linking the country's heartland with Tibet, local authorities say, but there are no reports of casualties.

Police in the city of Maerkang had closed the 758-metre-long Hongqi bridge to all traffic on Monday afternoon after cracks appeared on nearby slopes and roads, and shifts were seen in the terrain of a mountain, the local government said.

On Tuesday afternoon conditions on the mountainside worsened, triggering landslides, leading to the collapse of the approach bridge and roadbed, it added.

Construction of the bridge finished earlier this year, according to a video posted by contractor Sichuan Road & Bridge Group on social media.

Australian Associated Press

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