5 killed after barge collides with bridge

Five people were killed and two were injured when a portion of a bridge collapsed after being struck by a barge in Nansha district of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, on Thursday morning.

The accident occurred around 5:31 am when the barge — Lianghui 688 — collided with a pier of the Li­xinsha Bridge on the Hongqili Waterway, causing a part of the bridge to break off, said Yin Qiang, deputy director of Guangzhou Maritime Safety Administration. The vessel, from Foshan was on its way to a southern district of Guangzhou.

"Five vehicles, including a motorbike and a minibus, fell off the bridge. Two of them plunged into the water, while the others fell on the vessel," Yin said at a news conference in Guangzhou on Thursday.

A preliminary investigation indicates the accident occurred due to inappropriate actions by the crew. The barge collided with two supporting piers of the bridge, causing the bridge deck to break off, Yin said.

He added that the administration has set up a special task force to investigate the incident, collect evidence and cooperate with the police to identify those responsible for the accident. Reports said the captain of the vessel had been detained.

The two injured are said to be in a stable condition in a local hospital. There were no passengers on the minibus except for the driver, who died in the accident.

Rescuers salvaged the two vehicles that had fallen into the river, and three of the victims were retrieved from one of the vehicles, said Yin, who is also deputy director of Guangzhou Maritime Rescue Center. The other deceased was the motorbike rider.

A total of 122 rescuers and 15 vessels, plus advanced rescue equipment, including marine robots and underwater sonar equipment, had been sent to the scene to help with the rescue efforts, Yin said.

China Southern Airlines sent two helicopters to help transport the injured, according to its official Weibo account.

Zou Xiaojiang, chief engineer of Guangzhou Bureau of Transport, said the bureau would be carrying out on-site inspections on the bridge.

Work to strengthen the bridge, which was built in 1994 and provides residents of Sanmin Island a land connection to the cities of Zhongshan and Shenzhen, began in 2022 because of safety concerns, according to China Central Television. However, the work has been repeatedly delayed. The city transportation department had marked end-August this year for completion of the work, the report added.

Ouyang Liubing, secretary-general of the Administrative Committee of Nansha Development Zone, said the committee has organized ferry services to help residents travel in and out of Sanmin Island.

Meanwhile, a temporary dock is also being built to help local farmers transport their produce from the island in the weeks to come, said Ouyang.

More than 9,100 people reside on the island, which covers an area of about 10 square kilometers. Ou­yang said relevant departments in Nansha have launched a districtwide bridge inspection campaign to identify and rectify safety issues.

The senior captain of another vessel, who did not wish to be named, said almost no bridge can withstand so severe an impact. He urged crew to check the equipment on board and understand the route before departure.

"Emergency anchoring can be done to avoid accidents," he told local media.

The vessel, which is 60 meters long, 18 meters high and has a draft depth of 26 meters, was sailing at a speed of five nautical miles an hour when it hit the bridge pier.