Death toll on Guangdong Province highway rises to 48... "Less than 10 years since opening"

Possibility of 'Injae' Rather Than Natural Disaster Due to Heavy Rain
Major Safety Structures Found Missing

The death toll from the collapse accident that occurred on June 1 on a highway in Guangdong Province, China, is approaching 48, with the scale of the damage increasing. The highway had been opened for less than 10 years, and it has been reported that some safety structures were missing, raising the possibility that the accident was caused by human error rather than the initially reported 'heavy rain.'

According to local media including China's Xinhua News Agency on June 2, the road surface collapse accident occurred at around 2:10 a.m. the previous day on the Meida Expressway section heading toward Fujian Province in Meizhou City, Guangdong Province. So far, 48 people have been confirmed dead and 30 injured. However, there are three additional deceased whose identities need to be confirmed, so the final damage scale is expected to increase. There are no foreigners among the deceased. The collapsed road surface length is 17.9 meters, with an area of 184.3 square meters. At the time, 23 vehicles passing through the road fell down the mountainside and were buried in soil and debris.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Initially, the authorities judged the accident to be a disaster caused by the heavy rain that fell intensively. In fact, the rainfall in Dabu County from May 1 to 30 was 628.2 mm, which is 2.75 times the annual average rainfall of 228.4 mm. However, the on-site investigation pointed to construction quality as a major cause of the problem. In particular, the highway is known to have been opened for less than 10 years.

According to China's Jiemian News, the second phase section of the Meida Expressway and the Dongyan Line, totaling 33.6 km, were opened on December 31, 2014, completing the entire Meida Expressway. It is the first highway passing through Dabu County and the third highway connecting Guangdong and Fujian provinces. The subsidence accident occurred in the second phase of the Meida Expressway and the Dongyan Line.

Moreover, the investigation suggests that a significant portion of safety structures was missing on this highway. An expert who inspected the site said, "The accident section is on a mountain slope and is presumed to be a landslide area. However, gravity retaining walls, rock bolts (bolts for rock reinforcement), and support structures are not visible." He added, "More and more mountain highways are adopting elevated road structures, but this section uses a slope embankment method, likely due to initial construction costs and other reasons."

The highway's operation and management entity is Guangdong Dachao Expressway Co., Ltd., which belongs to Guangdong Provincial Transportation Group, a state-owned enterprise of Guangdong Province. In 2022 alone, Guangdong Dachao was involved in numerous lawsuits including sales contract disputes, construction contract disputes, and subcontracting contract disputes.

Meanwhile, President Xi Jinping has instructed to make every effort in on-site rescue, treatment of the injured, and accident handling related to this incident. He emphasized, "Damaged roads must be restored as quickly as possible, and efforts should be made to restore traffic order. Potential risks must be promptly investigated and addressed to ensure the safety of people's lives and property and overall social safety." Zhang Guoqing, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, led responsible officials to the site to guide rescue and disaster relief operations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.