On the early morning of May 1st, a road collapse occurred on the Cha Yang section of the Guangdong Meidagao (Meilong) Expressway. By the afternoon of May 2nd, officials confirmed that the accident had resulted in the deaths of 48 people. Xi Jinping issued his “instructions” a day later, emphasizing the need for stability.
According to Xinhua News Agency around 3:30 pm on May 2nd, the collapse in the Cha Yang section of the Guangdong Meidagao Expressway has tragically claimed the lives of 48 individuals.
Furthermore, as reported by CCTV News, a press conference was held in Meizhou City, Guangdong on the afternoon of May 2nd, stating that as of 2 pm on the 2nd, the collapse had resulted in 48 fatalities, with 3 individuals awaiting further DNA confirmation and 30 others injured.
In a midday report by Xinhua, Xi Jinping issued “important instructions,” emphasizing the need to ensure “overall social stability.” Premier Li Keqiang also provided relevant guidance.
However, the fact that Xi and Li issued instructions a day after the accident occurred is noteworthy. On the evening of May 1st, CCTV was still airing “May Day” celebration programs; Xi Jinping’s holiday greetings were trending on Weibo, followed by the CCTV evening program, with the Meizhou Expressway accident ranking third. Major Chinese media outlets such as Xinhua prominently covered Xi’s April 29th reply to Serbian workers at the He Steel Group but did not show urgent attention to the accident from Xi and Li.
Xi’s instruction this time to focus on stability work has attracted attention. Whenever natural disasters or accidents occur, the Chinese authorities’ handling often leads to family rights disputes, and the authorities always emphasize stability.
It is worth noting that the authorities have not yet disclosed the cause of the collapsed accident, though it has been classified as a “disaster.”
Official reports indicate that around 2:10 am on May 1st, a collapse occurred on the Guangdong Meidagao Expressway (S12) in the direction from Dapu to Fujian at around K11+900m (about 2 kilometers from the Cha Yang section exit), with a collapsed area measuring about 17.9 meters in length and approximately 184.3 square meters in area.
High-resolution aerial images released by official media show the extent of the collapse on the expressway, with the road completely collapsing down the hillside, leaving only the highway guardrails connected to pillars hanging in the air. The collapsed area formed a large crater, containing a significant amount of burnt car wreckage.
According to reports by Interface News, the section of the accident had been completed for less than ten years, with both the project construction and operation managed by companies under Guangdong Provincial Transport Group.
On April 1, 2023, due to continuous rainfall, a collapse occurred on the steep slope at K55+690 of the Meidagao Expressway in the direction towards Dapu. Experts and relevant departments are currently investigating the specific reasons for the collapse, preliminarily attributing it to factors such as geological structure, erosion by rainwater, and construction quality.
Quoting an engineer, the report mentioned deficiencies in monitoring and early warning systems: “In the case of such landslides, there are usually clear signs beforehand, allowing for anticipation in potential landslide areas. Some satellite monitoring actions could directly provide feedback to safety centers for warnings before deciding whether to close the expressway.”
With 2.26 million followers and verified as a host, “Xingge” expressed skepticism on May 1st about blaming the accident on heavy rainfall. He questioned why relevant departments did not take preventive measures before this year’s heavy rain, especially considering last year’s collapse on the same expressway section, which had undergone repairs.