Amidst the Chinese Communist Party’s official media’s high-profile promotion of the bustling “May Day” holiday travel market, a passenger cruise ship capsized in a scenic area in Guizhou Province, causing more than 70 people to fall into the water. According to informed sources, the involved cruise ship operating company had been ordered to rectify safety management issues by local authorities last year, but the effectiveness was unsatisfactory. This incident exposes the long-term neglect of safety hazards in the Chinese tourism industry driven by profit.
Reported by the CCP’s official media, on May 4th around 4:40 pm, two cruise ships capsized near the East Wind Storage Area of LiuChong River, Xiren Miao Ethnic Township, Qianxi City, Guizhou Province. As of now, it has resulted in 3 deaths, 60 people receiving medical treatment, and 14 people still being searched for and rescued.
However, the casualty figures officially reported have been questioned by the public. There are also online messages claiming that in fact, four boats capsized, with over 200 people falling into the water, including one boat with over 80 people, some of whom were rescued and sent to hospitals. However, this information cannot currently be verified.
On the day of the incident, around 4:40 pm, a sudden heavy rainstorm hit the upstream area of the East Wind Storage District along the LiuChong River, accompanied by hail and strong winds, causing the water level to rise rapidly. Two medium-sized tourist cruise ships encountered extreme weather conditions while sailing, with fog rising on the river and strong winds causing the boats to lose balance and capsize. During the incident, some passengers were trapped underwater as they were not wearing life jackets, while some passengers swam to shore on their own. However, many people remained trapped in deep water areas with slim hopes of survival.
According to eyewitnesses, before the incident, passengers were enjoying the scenery along the shore while the ship’s two levels were crowded with people. After the sudden rain and hailstorm struck, passengers on the second level hurried down to the first level for cover, but the ship failed to promptly dock or take effective measures. Mr. Liu, a villager from Huawu Village, said, “Around 4 pm, there was a sudden heavy rainstorm with strong winds lasting for more than 20 minutes.” He mentioned that the water area of the incident was deep and swift, making rescue efforts extremely challenging.
It is worth noting that at 2:40 pm that day, the Qianxi City Meteorological Observatory had issued an orange hail warning, clearly indicating a possible hail disaster within the next 6 hours. However, the tourist cruise boats in the area were still operating normally without implementing suspension or evacuation measures. The scene of the salvage operation showed that some of the passengers who fell into the water were not wearing life jackets.
On Weibo, some netizens revealed that the company, in pursuit of maximizing profits, had long ignored safety hazards and failed to respond effectively to extreme weather warnings.
After the accident, villagers from Huawu Village quickly took action and voluntarily participated in the rescue operation. Mr. Liu’s father bravely boarded the rescue boat and carried the drowning victims onto ambulances. The villagers also proactively cleared the village roads to ensure smooth passage for ambulances and rescue equipment. On the wharf square, rescue personnel fought through the night, trying to trace the missing persons. However, the challenging nature of the rescue operations revealed the severity of the accident, with search and rescue efforts in deepwater areas still ongoing.
Currently, the search and rescue work is still in progress, and the casualty figures may further update.
“The search is still ongoing, but there are still 14 people missing, the situation is not optimistic. The only thing we can do now is to pray for the 60 injured persons who have been sent to hospitals, hoping they can safely overcome this difficulty.”
“From the current information, most of the 50 rescued people were on the second-level open platform, while the 20 missing individuals were in the cabin and could not escape in time. Sincerely hoping they still have a chance of survival.”
“If they have managed to reach the shore, it’s better, but staying in the water for seven hours, it’s really tough.”
“Looking at the color of the water, you can tell how deep it was at that time. We locals always pay great attention to safety, so this incident is truly heartbreaking. When going out for leisure, always stay alert.”