In the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, a tragic incident occurred when a cargo ship collided with Lixinsha Bridge, resulting in the collapse of a section of the structure and causing five vehicles, including a bus, to plunge into the river. The collision claimed the lives of two individuals, left one person injured, and three others missing.
Reports from state media indicated that the cargo ship, which was en route from Foshan to Guangzhou, struck the bridge. Remarkably, the vessel was not loaded with any cargo at the time of the accident. The incident took place at approximately 5:30 am local time, with only a bus present on the bridge.
Images broadcasted on China Central Television (CCTV) depicted the cargo ship trapped beneath the fractured portion of the bridge. Subsequently, the captain of the ship was detained, and residents residing nearby were evacuated to safer areas, as confirmed by district authorities in statements to Beijing News.
Lixinsha Bridge had been slated for renovation and improvement; however, such initiatives encountered delays on multiple occasions. Despite provincial authorities advocating for the installation of "collision avoidance facilities" to enhance the structural integrity of the bridge as early as October 2021, the project's completion date was postponed several times. Initially set for September 2022, the deadline was extended first to August 2023 and then further to August 2024.
Concerns about the bridge's safety were raised previously when damages to its box girder were reported in July 2019. Consequently, district authorities imposed restrictions on vehicles weighing 15 tons or more from utilizing the bridge. However, these restrictions were lifted in July 2020 following the completion of repair and reinforcement works, allowing vehicles weighing up to 20 tons to resume using the bridge.
