Photo: CCTV

Photo: CCTV

Five people were killed after a container ship collided with a bridge pier while passing through a waterway in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province on Thursday morning, causing the bridge deck to break. The accident was due to improper operation by the ship’s crew, according to the authorities at a press briefing held on Thursday.

The accident happened at 5:31 am on Thursday, when a container ship hit the Lixinsha Bridge pier in Nansha district. Five vehicles, including one minibus, one truck, and one electric motorcycle, were involved in the accident. Two of them plunged into the river and the other vehicles fell onto the vessel, according to the authorities.

Two people are in hospital in stable condition. One crew member of the container ship was slightly injured.

The container ship sailed empty from Foshan to Guangzhou, passing through Guangzhou’s Lixinsha Bridge. 

The company that owned the container ship later said it is fully cooperating with the investigation and will provide compensation to the people involved and for the damage caused by the collision with the bridge, according to media reports.

Local officials told media that nearby surrounding residents have been evacuated, and the vessel owner involved has been brought under control by officials.

Lixinsha Bridge is the main transportation route for residents of Sanmin Island. After the incident, traffic control measures have been implemented on the bridge. Zhong Weihong, the village Party secretary of Minjian village on the island, told reporters that there is still a ferry available for residents to travel. Currently, the cause of the accident and the extent of casualties are being investigated.

On July 26, 2019, serious damages occurred to the bridge box girder of the Lixinsha Bridge. In order to ensure the safety of the bridge, the Nansha District Transportation Bureau of Guangzhou implemented a measure to restrict vehicles with a total weight of 15 tons or more from passing through the bridge in July, 2019, according to local media.

In July, 2020, local officials lifted the traffic restrictions on the Lixinsha Bridge. The notice stated that the Lixinsha Bridge has completed repair and reinforcement work. Authorities claimed that the bridge was in good technical condition, and the weight limit for vehicles passing through the Lixinsha Bridge has been increased to 20 tons.

Global Times