Two people were killed and three were missing after a cargo ship crashed into a bridge located in China’s crucial Pearl River Delta near Guangzhou city on Thursday. State media says that as many as five vehicles including a bus plunged into the river after the collision.
The bridge built over the important waterway broke into half after the cargo ship collided into it. In an official statement released on WeChat, Guangzhou Maritime Safety Administration said that the cargo ship was on Foshan to Guangzhou trip when the accident took place. The crash took place in the Hongqili Waterway, which is part of the Pearl River Delta.
Soon after the crash, the images of the accident went viral on the social media. State-owned CCTV or China Central Television also shared the visual clips showing the impact of the crash. In the visuals, container barge was seen stuck between the collapsed columns of the Lixinsha Bridge. The two-lane road deck of the bridge was destroyed in the crash. Entire vehicular traffic on and around the Lixinsha Bridge was stopped immediately.
Guangzhou is one of China’s busiest maritime hub. Capital of the wealthy Guangdong province, Guangzhou is situated near the mouth of the Pearl River. Repeated complaints and requests were made to strengthen the Lixinsha Bridge. A Reuters report says that the bridge gives the locals a land connection to two cities Shenzhen and Zhongshan.