Chinese President Xi Jinping has officially opened the world’s longest sea crossing bridge, nine years after construction first began.

Including its access roads, the bridge spans 55km (34 miles) and connects Hong Kong to Macau and the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai.

The bridge cost about $20bn (£15.3bn) and should have opened in 2016.

Construction has been dogged by safety issues – at least 18 workers have died on the project, officials say.

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Mr Xi attended the opening ceremony of the bridge, which took place in Zhuhai, along with the leaders of Hong Kong and Macau.

Limited bus services begin on Wednesday.

What’s so special about this bridge?
Designed to withstand earthquakes and typhoons, it was built using 400,000 tonnes of steel, enough to build 60 Eiffel Towers.

Images of China’s mega bridge
About 30km of its total length crosses the sea of the Pearl River delta. To allow ships through, a 6.7km section in the middle d