diff --git a/bfd/ChangeLog b/bfd/ChangeLog
index bcc16f3be0..a53bcbcde8 100644
--- a/bfd/ChangeLog
+++ b/bfd/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2002-03-05  Jakub Jelinek  <jakub@redhat.com>
+
+	* merge.c (_bfd_merge_sections): Don't segfault if there
+	is nothing to merge due to GC.
+
 2002-03-05  Alan Modra  <amodra@bigpond.net.au>
 
 	* elf32-hppa.c (clobber_millicode_symbols): Remove hack to keep
diff --git a/bfd/merge.c b/bfd/merge.c
index 7b06c10deb..e175efdf88 100644
--- a/bfd/merge.c
+++ b/bfd/merge.c
@@ -804,6 +804,9 @@ _bfd_merge_sections (abfd, xsinfo, remove_hook)
       if (secinfo)
 	continue;
 
+      if (sinfo->htab->first == NULL)
+	continue;
+
       if (sinfo->htab->strings)
 	merge_strings (sinfo);
       else