Recently, a tragic incident occurred in Ge’elao Town, Jiangmen, Guangdong Province, when a group of tourists from Guangzhou drove their car into an unprotected construction passage of an under-construction bridge and plunged straight into the river. The vehicle was carrying a family of five, including a child, all of whom tragically lost their lives. This incident has sparked public outcry regarding accountability and oversight loopholes.
On December 13 at around 1 p.m., a car carrying the Guangzhou tourists entered an unobstructed construction passage near the Xijiang River at the construction site of the Xijiang Grand Bridge on the South China Sea to Xinhui Expressway in Ge’elao Town. The next day, the vehicle was retrieved from the river, and all five individuals inside were confirmed deceased, including four adults and a child.
According to a report by the Yangcheng Evening News on December 25, the family of five was on a special trip to visit the area around Ge’elao Town when they mistakenly drove into the construction passage due to the lack of safety barriers and warning signs at the site, leading to the tragic accident.
Local villagers had previously noted the lax safety controls at the construction site, expressing concerns about potential safety issues as people, including villagers and passersby, entered and exited the area freely. With the tragic incident now a reality, they hope that relevant authorities will thoroughly investigate the matter, clarify the responsibilities of all parties involved, and provide justice for the families of the victims.
The incident occurred in the jurisdiction of the Lishui Village Committee in Ge’elao Town, adjacent to the Lishui section of the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway. The construction underway is part of the supporting infrastructure of the South China Sea to Xinhui Expressway, a key transportation infrastructure project in Guangdong Province and a core control project of the Nanshan-Xinhui Expressway. The construction is being overseen by China Railway Guangzhou Engineering Bureau.
The bridge spans the main stream of the Xijiang River, built to a standard of six lanes in each direction with a design speed of 120 kilometers per hour. The project, with a total length of about 50 kilometers and an investment of 13.063 billion yuan, commenced at the end of 2024 with an expected construction period of 42 months. Starting from April 2025, the construction of the Jiangmen bank viaduct and other supporting facilities has entered a concentrated construction phase. The unprotected section where the incident occurred is a temporary passageway connecting to the main bridge construction site.
Currently, the construction site in question has been completely halted, with no construction personnel or vehicles in operation. The entrance to the construction passage has been doubly sealed using water-filled barriers and sealing tape to prevent any vehicles from entering.
After 12 days of silence, the incident finally came to light. On December 25, the topic labeled “Family of Five Tragically Perishes after Driving into Construction Passage” surged to the top of trending on Weibo.
Online users expressed outrage, stating, “Without warning signs or barriers, this is no different from intentional homicide.” “Failure to set up safety warning signs at the construction site means the parties involved, including the employer, construction unit, and supervisory company, must bear responsibility.” “Is the quality of the project conducted by these makeshift teams qualified? If they can’t even properly mark the road, how can we expect them to do a good job on the project?” “An unobstructed construction passage??? We demand accountability. It makes me so angry, five lives lost.” “Why was there no barrier at the construction site? Even if compensation is paid, to whom will it be given when a whole family is lost?”
The public strongly urges a comprehensive investigation into similar hidden dangers in construction projects across the country, emphasizing that “temporary passages are not an excuse for absolution” and advocating for the mandatory implementation of protection standards such as physical barriers, reflective night signs, and dedicated personnel on duty to address regulatory loopholes.
Mainland Chinese writer and Weibo influencer “Liu Jixing” stated, “Due to the lack of safety barriers and warning signs at the construction site, the driver mistakenly entered the construction passage, resulting in a tragic outcome. The construction party has played with people’s lives and must be severely punished.”