Typhoon “Beibei Jia” made landfall in Kunshan, Suzhou at 12:00 pm on September 16, causing a high voltage power line to fall due to strong winds, resulting in the unfortunate electrocution and death of two individuals.
According to a video posted by netizens on the 16th, “As the typhoon approached, a high-voltage power line fell on Xiaolin Road and Baita Road in Kunshan, tragically electrocuting two delivery workers.”
Another netizen shared a video stating, “The fallen high-voltage line at the entrance of our factory was later seen in the news from elsewhere.” In the video, a power line was seen lying on damp ground, emitting sparks continuously.
As reported by the “Xiaoxiang Morning News,” a local resident mentioned, “Someone in the neighborhood’s WeChat group mentioned that it happened on the road, saying they got electrocuted. By the time the ambulances and police arrived, the situation was already dire.”
Kunshan First People’s Hospital reported that the two individuals involved in the incident were brought to the hospital at around 2:00 pm for treatment, and efforts to save them were ongoing at the time.
This incident sparked questions from many netizens, with some questioning why deliveries were still being made during a typhoon. Shanghai netizens commented, “Delivery services in Shanghai were suspended, but it seems Suzhou is a different story.”
One netizen replied, “The losses from a day or half-day of suspension would outweigh the compensation for employee deaths, so delivery companies are unlikely to cease operations.”
Others mentioned, “While food delivery platforms were closed, express delivery and supermarket delivery services were still active, with their staff working.”
“The responsibility falls squarely on the power company for failing to cut the power when the lines hit the ground continuously.”
Following the attention the incident garnered, Zhouzhen in Kunshan responded by stating that at 1:21 pm on the 16th, during the passage of Typhoon “Beibei Jia” through Kunshan, the 10 KV line at the intersection of Xiaolin Road and Heng Qing Road in Zhouzhen was affected causing the line to fall due to the typhoon, resulting in two residents passing by getting electrocuted. Despite efforts to save them, the two individuals unfortunately succumbed to their injuries. It was clarified that the two deceased individuals were residents and not delivery workers.