Dozens of vehicles plunged into an abyss on the Meidagao Expressway in Guangdong, China, following a sudden collapse of the road surface. The collision and explosion resulted in a fierce fire. Many eyewitnesses have recounted more harrowing details of the dramatic moment when the incident occurred.
On the early morning of May 1st, a catastrophic road collapse occurred on the Meidagao Expressway in Guangdong, leaving many families in irreparable grief. On the afternoon of May 2nd, authorities in Meizhou City, Guangdong, reported that as of 2 p.m., the accident had claimed the lives of 48 individuals, with DNA matching underway for three more persons; 30 people were injured.
Following the incident, many internet users took to social media to search for missing family members and friends. One individual shared that their friend was driving from Shenzhen to Fujian for a trip and tragically fell from this section of the expressway. At the time, the vehicle had three adults and two children, and they have not been able to contact them since.
On the evening of May 2nd, it was confirmed that all members of the missing family had perished. Mr. Chen (pseudonym) revealed to local media that his friend’s group of nine people in two vehicles passed through the accident site on the night of the incident. Five people were in the vehicle driven by his friend, including the couple, their 15-year-old and 10-year-old sons, and the cousin of the vehicle owner, all of whom have been confirmed deceased. The parents of the victims have since taken their bodies to the funeral home.
Another friend narrowly escaped the disaster after being delayed for a few minutes while using a service area restroom.
Despite the confirmed casualties, some individuals remain missing, with their families anxiously awaiting news.
The collapse of the road surface measured approximately 17.9 meters in length and 184.3 square meters in area. Footage from the scene showed a massive crater with a depth equivalent to about three stories high and an astonishing width. Vehicles, along with soil, slid down into the abyss, with at least 23 cars falling into the large pit. Meanwhile, the soil above continued to collapse, burying the vehicles and causing many to suffocate to death. Additionally, multiple vehicles caught fire and many individuals perished in the flames.
According to a report by The Paper on May 3rd, Zhang Lixin (pseudonym) never expected that her journey home would turn into a near-death experience. On the night of April 30th, her family of seven drove back from Longgang, Shenzhen, to their hometown in Meizhou. At around 2 a.m. the next day, their car reached the Meidagao Expressway, where, except for her father who was driving, everyone in the vehicle was asleep. Suddenly, the car jolted, waking them all up.
She recalled that the guardrail behind them was sinking, and the right rear tire was stuck in a cracked groove, leading to a blowout. Despite this, her father continued to accelerate, narrowly avoiding a collision with the guardrail amid intense shaking and acceleration. They managed to get past the collapsed section and drove for a few hundred meters before stopping.
Still shaken, they saw a massive crater behind them, with cars tumbling down and smoke billowing amid explosions.
Rescue personnel did not arrive immediately after the collapse. Several drivers who passed by the scene got out of their vehicles to prevent more cars from reaching the site and participated in rescue efforts.
Truck driver Wang Xiangnan recalls that traffic was congested about 200 meters before the collapse, with some vehicles even attempting to drive in the opposite direction. He got out to assess the situation, witnessing cars stacked on top of each other in the deep pit, emitting flames and loud bangs.
He swiftly turned his truck around, positioning it across the road, blocking it with hazard lights flashing. This action prevented further casualties.
Hu Juntao (pseudonym), who was driving back to his hometown in Meizhou, also witnessed the aftermath of the collapse: smoke rising ahead, a section of the guardrail askew. Soon after, the vehicle in front turned on emergency lights, and the driver signaled for them to reverse, indicating the collapse.
According to his WeChat post at 2:27 a.m. on May 1st, under the cover of night, thick smoke tinged red by the fires, “The bridge collapsed, many cars fell, continuous explosions. We were only 100 meters away from death.”
Images from the scene depict numerous cars piled together, turning into a heap of scrap metal after burning.
37-year-old Liu Yongzheng also promptly joined rescue efforts. He heard frantic calls for help from trapped individuals and descended the steep slope to assist. Without lighting on the slope, he trembled as he climbed down, using a phone flashlight and grasping the grass to prevent slipping. At least ten vehicles were on fire, with people gradually emerging from the vehicles, about three to four meters away from the flames.
He quickly helped move and rescue six trapped individuals in total. Among them was a young girl of three, who coughed up blood on his shoulder. As the flames intensified, with heat bearing down, Liu did not dare linger.
Zhang Lixin and her family stayed on the other side of the collapse until 5 a.m., aiding in the rescue of three individuals. They assisted a father carrying his two-and-a-half-year-old child, desperately clawing at the collapsed earth to climb up. Upon pulling them to safety, the child had a head injury, coughing up blood, while another individual was covered in blood and seemed to have lost consciousness, unable to recall how many people were in the vehicle.
Following the tragic incident, voices from various quarters have questioned why the expressway collapsed.
Some suggest that consecutive heavy rainfall in recent days caused the roadbed to loosen. Critics ask whether, after the construction of a highway, it becomes unsafe to use during rainy weather?
Renowned figure Li Yipeng questions if safety issues were overlooked during highway construction? Were efforts made to mitigate the impact of catastrophic weather events? Can the quality of the highway withstand once-in-a-century downpours? Is there a standard to adhere to? Which aspects contributed to the incident? Are there construction quality issues?
He asserts that accountability must be enforced, with severe repercussions for negligence leading to the deaths of numerous individuals, bringing catastrophic consequences to many families.
Many internet users demand answers to whether the geological disaster resulted from prolonged rainfall or substandard construction practices, urging responsible parties to provide explanations. They insist on uncovering the culprits behind the scenes and holding them accountable to the public.
Records show that the Meidagao Expressway in Guangdong commenced construction on January 11, 2010, and was completed and operational on December 31, 2014, with a total length of 61.2 kilometers and a designed speed of 100 kilometers per hour.
Some netizens express disbelief that such a tragic accident, claiming dozens of lives, could occur on a highway less than a decade old without any suspicious circumstances.