Wang Xiangnan, a truck driver, who halted his cold chain truck on the expressway to stop cars during the collapse of the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway, was rewarded in Puyang, Henan Province on Sunday. Photo: Pengpai

Wang Xiangnan, a truck driver, who halted his cold chain truck on the expressway to stop cars during the collapse of the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway, was rewarded with  10,000 yuan(approximately $1,413) from a justice and courage association in Puyang, located in Central China's Henan Province on Sunday. Huang Jiandu, who bravely knelt in the middle of the road to halt traffic on the highway, was also honored with a reward in South China's Guangdong Province.

At about 2:10 am on May 1, a landslide occurred at the Chayang section of the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway in Meizhou, Guangdong Province killing 48 and injuring 30,  Xinhua News Agency reported on May 2. 

During the accident, Wang, a military veteran, was operating a cold chain truck and detected a potential accident through the vehicle’s GPS. Upon realizing that the road was collapsing, Wang promptly halted his 12.5-meter-long cold chain truck in the middle of the expressway. He activated the hazard lights to alert and halt vehicles behind him, preventing further tragedy.

Huang, aged 64, made the courageous decision to kneel in the middle of the expressway following the collapse in order to halt oncoming vehicles. His bravery earned praise from Fengshun County of Meizhou, with a local charity foundation rewarding  him with 10,000 yuan for his act of bravery.

Meizhou is exploring ways to recognize the heroism shown by Wang and a number of other individuals. The Guangdong provincial government has established a disaster investigation and assessment team, led by the governor and the causes of the disaster are under investigation, a local media outlet reported on Saturday.

Global Times