On December 17th, a traffic accident occurred inside the Duyatun Tunnel near Yesanpo in Liaoshui County, Baoding City, Hebei Province. As of the afternoon of December 19th, the section where the accident occurred has still not been reopened to traffic. Chinese authorities have so far remained silent on the accident. A netizen from Hebei who reposted a video of the “Yesanpo Highway Tunnel Accident” received a call from a person claiming to be a highway traffic police officer, asking them to delete the video.
Recently, Chinese netizens have posted videos reflecting that on December 17th, a traffic accident occurred inside the Duyatun Tunnel near Yesanpo in Liaoshui County, Baoding City, with several cars damaged and suspected injuries to individuals.
Multiple videos posted by netizens show traffic congestion near the Duyatun Tunnel, with many vehicles stranded on the highway.
According to a report by Hongxing News, a resident who passed through the Duyatun Tunnel stated that on December 17th, she intended to travel from Baoding to Zhangjiakou Xuanhua. Around 7:30 pm that day, when she approached the Duyatun Tunnel, the road was already congested, and vehicles were unable to move forward. She described, “I heard a sound similar to an explosion and saw smoke at the scene. While stuck in traffic, someone went to check ahead and came back describing the same thing.” She also witnessed police cars, ambulances, and tow trucks rushing to the scene to handle the situation.
The resident mentioned that after being stuck in traffic for nearly an hour, she was able to enter a service area and wait around 8:30 pm that day.
According to a report by Hebei Changcheng Net on the morning of December 18th, the situation on highways in the province indicated that accidents had occurred in both directions at the Duyatun Tunnel on the Zhangjiakou and Zhuozhou sides of the highway. In particular, there was a 10-kilometer traffic jam in the direction of Zhuozhou at kilometer markers K348+331.
A staff member of the Yesanpo Brigade of the Hebei Highway Traffic Police on the morning of December 19th said, “The Duyatun Tunnel is still not fully reopened. How long will it take to restore? We are also waiting for updates.”
Regarding rumors of injuries in the traffic accident circulated on the internet, a report mentioned that the receptionist at Liaoshui County Hospital did not respond. When asked about the injured from the Duyatun Tunnel accident at the outpatient department of the hospital, one staff member confirmed, “Indeed, we received the injured from the Duyatun Tunnel accident.”
As for the cause of the accident, a staff member from Liaoshui County government responded on the morning of December 19th, saying, “I have a rough idea of the situation. The video from the scene shows a truck’s tire on fire.” However, they claimed not to be aware of the specifics of the accident or the casualties.
On the morning of December 19th, a staff member of the Duyatun Village Committee in Liaoshui County said, “Indeed, a traffic accident did occur near the Duyatun Tunnel around 7 or 8 pm on December 17th.” However, they mentioned not being fully informed about the details of the incident.
Several drivers who passed through the site of the traffic accident on the night of December 17th stated that as of the afternoon of December 19th, the road segment had not yet been reopened to traffic. The reasons for the accident, specific details, and casualty numbers have not been officially reported to date.
Some netizens faced trouble for posting related content online.
According to a report by Jiupai News, on December 18th, a netizen from Hebei received a call from a person claiming to be a highway traffic police officer after reposting a video of the “Yesanpo Highway Tunnel Accident”. The caller urged them to delete the video. The netizen questioned the manner in which the caller obtained their information, to which the caller first said, “It’s on Weibo,” then changed to, “Not sure,” and after muttering profanities, hung up the phone.
A recording revealed that the individual claiming to be a highway traffic police officer suggested the netizen dial “114” to verify their phone usage, but the netizen refused and requested the person to disclose their identity. The individual then stated that they were a staff member of the Yesanpo Brigade of the Baoding Branch of the Hebei Highway Traffic Police. When asked to provide badge number and name, it was met with rejection.
The netizen said, “Then please release an official report as soon as possible.” Subsequently, they inquired about the source of their personal information. The staff member murmured “idiot” and promptly hung up.
A mainland Douyin blogger “Traveler in China” posted a video on December 18th saying, “Smoke is still coming from the Duyatun Tunnel on G95 Capital Ring Road.” The blogger also commented in the section, “They asked me to delete the video, but I refused.”
On social media, some netizens claimed that the accident happened in the Duyatun Tunnel on the G95 Capital Ring Road in the direction of Zhuozhou, Baoding City, Hebei Province. They reported that a natural gas tanker collided, causing a fire explosion and partial collapse of the tunnel, involving dozens of cars. They mentioned that “many cars exploded,” and reports suggested there were 10 deaths and 29 injuries, with videos showing an extremely grim scene after the explosion occurred. However, official information on casualties remains blocked.
As of now, the above revelations have not been confirmed or denied.
The traffic accident that occurred in the Duyatun Tunnel near Yesanpo in Liaoshui County, Baoding City, Hebei Province, has been over five days, yet there has been no official explanation regarding the casualties.