In the early hours of August 22, at around 3 a.m., a construction accident occurred on the Jiayu Railway in Qinghai Province, where the Jiezhai Yellow River Super Bridge was under construction. The accident involved the breakage of a construction rope, resulting in the tragic loss of seven lives and leaving nine individuals missing.
According to reports from the state-run People’s Daily, at the time of the incident, there were 15 construction workers and one project site manager working at the construction site. As of 9 a.m. on the 22nd, the accident had led to seven fatalities and nine missing persons.
Online users have criticized the situation, stating, “This is what they call Chinese speed, working around the clock without rest, and most accidents happening during night shifts.” Others expressed sentiments like, “It’s so tragic, that helpless feeling of falling into an abyss,” and “A grievous accident, safety must always come first in construction!”
The Jiezhai Yellow River Super Bridge on the Xicheng Railway is located at the junction of Jiezhai County in Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Hualong Hui Autonomous County in Haidong City, Qinghai Province. It is the first railway steel truss arch bridge to span the Yellow River in mainland China. On June 14, the suspension tower of the Jiezhai Yellow River Super Bridge was successfully capped, with plans for its completion and connection on the bridge scheduled for August 2025.