On December 9, 2024, it has been 4 days since the collapse at the Shenzhen Railway construction site. Thirteen “missing” personnel are still unaccounted for. Recently, local residents and construction workers have shared some astonishing details about the events leading up to and following the collapse.
According to a report by “Sanlian Life Weekly” on December 7, the collapse occurred at the construction site of section 5 of the Shenzhen Railway along Zhoushi Road in the Bao’an District. This area is a major road in the city with 8 lanes and is surrounded by industrial zones and a large school, receiving heavy traffic flow regularly. The road closure began around 4 p.m. that day, with passersby noticing “some slight sinking” and “cracks on the road.” At that time, the southbound lanes still allowed traffic on both motorized and non-motorized lanes.
By 9 p.m., all lanes on Zhoushi Road were closed, and shop owners were notified by street officials to “close early and go home.”
Around 11 p.m., announcements were made via loudspeakers at the Baozhou Industrial Area dormitories instructing residents to “gather downstairs with their belongings.” A resident named Wang Rui recounted hearing loud crashing noises outside and witnessing a tree fall near Zhoushi Road.
She mentioned overhearing a middle-aged male worker reporting to managers, “Brother fell down and cannot be reached.” Despite repeated attempts to call his brother, there was no answer.
Due to the dormitory entrance being blocked by the collapse, residents had to break down a wall for about half an hour before being able to evacuate.
In the early hours of the 5th, the Emergency Management Bureau of Bao’an District in Shenzhen reported that there was a sudden collapse at section 5 of the Shenzhen Railway construction site, with 13 on-site workers missing.
On the morning of the 5th, local schools announced the suspension of classes, instructing students not to return to school. Nearby residents near the collapse site received urgent notifications to evacuate further. Residents walked approximately 2 kilometers to reach safe hotels outside the blocked-off area.
Reports indicate that the collapse created a hole several meters deep and spanning 7 lanes of Zhoushi Road, extending under buildings in the Baozhou Industrial Area, filled with a mixture of water and soil.
Relatives disclosed that among the 13 missing individuals were construction workers and technical staff from the construction side as well as project managers. As of the report’s publication, families have not received any news of the missing workers.
The Shenzhen Railway section 5 project is part of the connection line from Shenzhen Airport East to Shenzhen North, spanning 20.06 kilometers and undertaken by China Railway 4th Bureau. The collapse occurred within one of the tunnels, the Shenduan Tunnel, a part of the line. An official from China Railway 4th Bureau previously highlighted the challenges of constructing the tunnel, mentioning it as the first tunnel in the country to use a combination of drilling and shield construction methods through various types of buildings.
Following the collapse, a pharmacy owner located 200 meters away from the site mentioned feeling ground vibrations during construction that lasted one to two seconds, occurring during the day. A worker operating an excavator underground before the collapse shared observations from December 4, noticing loose rocks and debris falling within the tunnel unexpectedly.
The worker indicated a change in ground conditions over time and the adoption of a new excavation plan about a month ago. An engineer specializing in settlement analysis for soil explained that signs of tunnel collapse often include cracks in the surface or massive debris falling in the tunnel. Work had been halted and the area sealed off prior to the incident, possibly due to the detection of warning signs, with efforts to address risks through grouting.
According to a study published in 2022 by experts from the Shenzhen Geological Bureau, analyzing the characteristics and causes of ground collapse disasters in Shenzhen, there were 1430 incidents of ground collapses from 2016 to 2020, resulting in an estimated loss of about 238.225 million yuan. The main causes of collapses cited in the report included network failures, improper construction practices, and erosion due to rainfall.