Two people died and three others went missing after a cargo ship crashed into a bridge built over a river, collapsing a major chunk of it in China’s Guangzhou city on Thursday. Visuals from the spot showed the bridge’s middle part collapsed and several vehicles plunged from the bridge.
The accident took place in the early hours when an empty shipping vessel rammed into the Lixinsha Bridge causing a beam to collapse in the Nansha district, 90 kilometers northwest of Hong Kong, state-owned CCTV reported. The captain of the ship has been arrested and further investigation is underway.
Preliminary investigation revealed that among the five vehicles, including a bus and a motorbike, that fell off the bridge, two plunged into the river while the others landed on the vessel. The Lixinsha Bridge is a key transportation link for Sanmin Island residents.
The exact cause of the accident and the extent of casualties is not known yet pending further probe, Global Times reported. The Guangzhou bus company confirmed that only one driver was in the bus when it fell off the bridge. Rescue efforts are underway, but details regarding other potential casualties remain unclear.
Footage aired by state broadcaster CCTV depicts a partially collapsed bridge, with the empty ship trapped beneath the structure. Following the incident, the bridge has been closed to traffic due to the significant breach in its span.
Zhong Weihong, the village Party secretary of Minjian village on the island, informed reporters that residents have the option of using a ferry for transportation.
