2024 Meizhou expressway collapse

Last updated
2024 Meizhou expressway collapse
Mei Da Gao Su Zai Hai Jiu Yuan .jpg
Date1 May 2024
Location Meizhou, Guangdong, China
Coordinates 24°29′24″N116°40′24″E / 24.49000°N 116.67333°E / 24.49000; 116.67333
TypeRoad collapse
Deaths48
Non-fatal injuries~30

On the morning of 1 May 2024, an expressway in Meizhou, China, collapsed, killing 48 people [1] and injuring thirty others. [2]

Contents

The Meilong Expressway Collapse was a catastrophic event that occurred on May 1, 2024, at approximately 2:10 a.m. local time. The incident took place at the Meilong Expressway (Meidagao Section) in the direction of Fujian, approximately 900 meters from K11 in Cha'yang Town, Dabu County, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, China. [3]

Background

Road Section

The Meilong Expressway is a highway connecting Meijiang District with Dabu County in Meizhou City, Guangdong Province. The section where the accident occurred is part of the second phase and the eastern extension line of the Meilong Expressway, which opened to traffic on December 31, 2014. Both the project construction and operation are managed by companies under the Guangdong Communications Group. The operational management company, Guangdong Dachao Expressway Co., Ltd., has been involved in multiple contractual disputes.

On April 1, 2023, the Meilong Expressway experienced a collapse due to heavy rain, resulting in the interruption of traffic in both directions. There were no casualties, and the full line was restored to traffic by 24:00 on May 9.

Weather

Prior to the accident, Guangdong had been experiencing heavy rainfall. On that day, many areas of Guangdong issued meteorological disaster warnings. As of 8:19 a.m. on May 1, there were 41 rainstorm warnings, 48 thunderstorm and gale warnings, and 5 orange hail warnings in effect province-wide.

In April, Meizhou experienced multiple rounds of heavy rainfall, surpassing historical records. From April 1 to April 30, Dabu County received 628.2 millimeters of rainfall, which was 2.75 times higher than the average of 228.4 millimeters. Meteorological monitoring showed that from 8:00 a.m. on April 30 to 8:00 a.m. on May 1, Dabu County experienced heavy rain, with an average rainfall of 48.9 millimeters and a maximum of 66.1 millimeters.

A notice from the Guangdong Provincial Department of Transportation on April 30 stated that due to continuous heavy rainfall, some highways and national and provincial roads in Guangdong were damaged.

Casualties

The collapsed section of the road was approximately 17.9 meters long with an area of approximately 184.3 square meters. [4]

As of 2:00 p.m. on May 2, 23 vehicles were found trapped, resulting in 48 deaths and 30 injuries. Most vehicles were buried in mud, and some vehicles caught fire. [5] Of the 30 injured, most suffered from bone injuries, head trauma, and lung contusions. Twenty-eight were treated at Meizhou People's Hospital, and two were hospitalized at Dabu County People's Hospital. [6]

Cause

The specific cause is under investigation, with preliminary speculation suggesting that it may be related to geological structure, water erosion, construction quality, and other factors.

Response

On May 1, the Guangdong Provincial and Meizhou Municipal governments established a command headquarters for the accident rescue operation. More than 500 personnel from the public security, emergency response, fire, health, transportation, and mine rescue teams were mobilized for on-site rescue. Huang Kunming, Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of Guangdong Province, made instructions and arrangements, convening two video dispatch meetings. Wang Weizhong, Governor of Guangdong Province, rushed to the disaster site to direct on-site emergency response work.

On May 2, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping, issued "important instructions," urging all-out efforts to rescue the injured, promptly identify and dispose of hidden risks, ensure the safety of people's lives and property, and maintain social stability. Premier of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang, made instructions. The Ministry of Emergency Management and the Ministry of Transport dispatched working groups to the scene to guide rescue work.

The Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management organized joint consultations with the China Meteorological Administration, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Ministry of Transport to study and deploy flood and disaster relief work in key areas such as South China, Jiangnan, and Northeast China during the May Day holiday. The Office of the State Council's Security Committee issued an urgent notice, deploying current safety precautions and resolutely preventing major accidents and disasters.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hakka Chinese</span> Sinitic language originating in southern China

Hakka forms a language group of varieties of Chinese, spoken natively by the Hakka people in parts of Southern China and some diaspora areas of Taiwan, Southeast Asia and in overseas Chinese communities around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meizhou</span> Prefecture-level city in Guangdong, Peoples Republic of China

Meizhou is a prefecture-level city in eastern Guangdong province, China. It has an area of 15,864.51 km2 (6,125.32 sq mi), and a population of 3,873,239 as of the 2020 census. It comprises Meijiang District, Meixian District, Xingning City and five counties. Its built-up or metro area made up of two urban districts was home to 992,351 inhabitants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Line 4 (Shanghai Metro)</span> Metro line of the Shanghai Metro

Line 4 is a loop line of the Shanghai Metro network. Its older rolling stock carry a bright purple colour belt to differentiate them from Line 3 trains which share a portion of its route, while the newer stock features a yellow and purple livery, which the exact line is labelled using sticker or screens saying “Line 3” or “Line 4”. To determine the direction of travel, the line that travels counter-clockwise is called the Outer Loop (外环), while the other line is known as the Inner Loop (内环). Although it is a loop line, trains returning to the depot use Yishan Road as a terminal to let all passengers disembark. The first segment of the line between Damuqiao Road and Lancun Road opened on December 31, 2005. The remainder of the line opened on December 29, 2007. The line is colored purple on system maps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Panzhihua earthquake</span>

The 2008 Panzhihua earthquake struck southern Sichuan province, China on August 30 at 16:30:50.5 China Standard Time with a surface wave magnitude of 6.1, or 6.0 Mw. It is also cited as the Renhe-Huili earthquake, especially in SCEA reports and early CEA reports. It was not an aftershock of the Sichuan earthquake that occurred several months prior. With more than 400 aftershocks, it caused over 40 deaths, the collapse of 10,000 homes and damage to other infrastructure in the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan. The maximum liedu was VIII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Typhoon Fanapi</span> Pacific typhoon in 2010

Typhoon Fanapi, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Inday, was a damaging and deadly typhoon that struck Taiwan and southeastern China in September 2010. It was the eleventh tropical storm and fourth typhoon of the very inactive season. The storm formed on September 14 east of the Philippines and moved slowly for several days, initially to the northwest, then curving to the northeast before turning westward due to a ridge to the north. During this time, Fanapi intensified to reach 10 minute maximum sustained winds of 175 km/h (109 mph). Fanapi made its first landfall on September 19 over Hualien, Taiwan, becoming the first typhoon to hit the island since Typhoon Morakot in August 2009. Later that day made a final landfall in Fujian, China. The storm dissipated on September 21 over southern China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Lushan earthquake</span> Earthquake in Sichuan, China

The Lushan earthquake or Ya'an earthquake occurred at 08:02 Beijing Time on April 20, 2013. The epicenter was located in Lushan County, Ya'an, Sichuan, about 116 km (72 mi) from Chengdu along the Longmenshan Fault in the same province heavily impacted by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. The magnitude of the earthquake was placed at Ms 7.0 by China Earthquake Data Center, Ms 7.0 by Russian Academy of Sciences, Mw 7.0 by Geoscience Australia, Mw 6.6 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Mw 6.6 by the European Alert System (EMSC) and Mj 6.9 by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). 1,815 aftershocks have been recorded as of 00:00 (UTC+8h) April 22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meizhou Hakka F.C.</span> Football club

Meizhou Hakka Football Club is a Chinese professional football club based in Wuhua, Meizhou, Guangdong, that competes in the Chinese Super League, the top tier of Chinese football. Meizhou Hakka plays its home matches at the Huitang Stadium, located within Wuhua County. Their current majority shareholders are the Meizhou municipal government, Municipal Sports Bureau, Wei Real Estate Development Co. Ltd. and partners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropical Storm Linfa (2015)</span> Pacific typhoon in 2015

Severe Tropical Storm Linfa, known in the Philippines as Severe Tropical Storm Egay, was a tropical cyclone that affected the northern Philippines, Taiwan and southern China in early July 2015. The tenth named storm of the annual typhoon season, Linfa developed on July 1 over in the Philippine Sea. It moved erratically westward toward the Philippines, eventually striking the island of Luzon on July 4. Linfa weakened across the island, but reorganized over the South China Sea. It turned northward and strengthened to near typhoon intensity, or winds of 120 km/h (75 mph), but weakened as it curved to the northwest toward southern China. On July 9, the storm made landfall along the Chinese province of Guangdong, dissipating the next day west of Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Typhoon Mujigae</span> Pacific typhoon in 2015

Typhoon Mujigae, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Kabayan, was the costliest typhoon to impact China in 2015. The typhoon first passed over the Philippines as a developing tropical cyclone from October 1 to 3, 2015. It then caused widespread damage in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan from October 3 to 6. Afterwards, as Mujigae weakened inland, it brought heavy rain to parts of Mainland Southeast Asia. Mujigae originated from an area of disturbed weather that formed just east of the Philippines on September 30. The disturbance slowly organized amid a favorable environment, becoming a tropical depression later that day. It traveled steadily west-northwestwards and made landfall in Central Luzon late on October 1, before crossing into the South China Sea the next morning. Mujigae strengthened rapidly on October 3, becoming a mature typhoon with 10-minute sustained winds of 155 km/h (96 mph), 1-minute sustained winds of 215 km/h (134 mph), and a minimum pressure of 950 hPa (28.05 inHg). The typhoon then made landfall over Zhanjiang, Guangdong, and weakened swiftly, dissipating inland over Guangxi on October 5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixian dialect</span> Hakka dialect of Taiwan

The Sixian dialect, also known as the Sixian accent, is a dialect of Hakka used by Taiwanese Hakkas, and it is the most spoken dialect of Taiwanese Hakka, being used in Hakka broadcasting in many public occasions. The Sixian dialect is generally spoken in northern and southern Taiwan, with main representative regions being Taoyuan and Miaoli in the north, as well as the Liudui Region in Kaohsiung and Pingtung in the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">July 2016 North China cyclone</span>

The July 2016 North China cyclone was a devastating extratropical cyclone which produced torrential precipitation and caused widespread flash floods over North China and portions of nearby regions, resulting in at least 184 deaths and ¥33.19 billion of damage in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Typhoon Sarika</span> Pacific typhoon in 2016

Typhoon Sarika, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Karen, was a powerful tropical cyclone which affected the Philippines, South China, and Vietnam in mid-October 2016. The twenty-first named storm and the tenth typhoon of the annual Pacific typhoon season, Sarika developed from a tropical disturbance east of the Philippines on October 13. The system steadily strengthened as it traveled westwards, becoming a tropical storm later that day and then a typhoon on October 15. Rapid intensification commenced as Sarika turned to the west-northwest towards Luzon, reaching its peak intensity just before making landfall in Aurora early on October 16. Sarika weakened significantly as it crossed land, emerging over the South China Sea as a minimal typhoon, then weakening further to a severe tropical storm on October 17. Sarika maintained its strength for the rest of the day and made landfall in Hainan province in China on October 18. Turning to the northwest, Sarika weakened quickly as it emerged into the Gulf of Tonkin, before moving onshore once again in Guangxi province on October 19. The system dissipated shortly after.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 China floods</span>

The 2017 China floods began in early June 2017. More than 14.9017 million people in 10 provinces and municipalities and regions were affected, especially the southern and central provinces and regions of Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Shandong, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu and Henan. Hunan was the hardest hit. A total of 18,100 houses were destroyed, and more than 9,821-square-metre (105,710 sq ft) of crops were inundated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropical Storm Rumbia</span> Pacific tropical storm in 2018

Tropical Storm Rumbia was a rather weak but very destructive tropical cyclone that caused widespread and disastrous flooding in East China in August 2018. The twenty-second officially recognized tropical cyclone of the 2018 Pacific typhoon season, Rumbia developed from an area of low pressure that developed southeast of the Ryukyu Islands on August 13. Favorable environmental conditions supported development of the low into a tropical depression by August 15. At 12:00 UTC that day, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Rumbia, which refers to the Sago palm. Initially moving northward, the cyclone turned westward in response to a building ridge to its northeast while slowly strengthening, reaching its peak intensity with maximum 10-minute sustained winds of 85 km/h (50 mph) on August 16. At 20:05 UTC that day, the storm made landfall in Shanghai at peak intensity, maintaining its strength as it moved inland due to ample environmental moisture. However, Rumbia began to weaken as it continued further inland, degenerating into a tropical depression on August 17 shortly before becoming extratropical over central China. The extratropical remnants of Rumbia accelerated northeastward into the Russian Far East, where they dissipated on August 23.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1975 Banqiao Dam failure</span> Failure of multiple dams in China

In August 1975, the Banqiao Dam and 61 others throughout Henan collapsed following the landfall of Typhoon Nina. The dam collapse created the third-deadliest flood in history which affected 12,000 km2 with a total population of 10.15 million, including around 30 cities and counties, with estimates of the death toll ranging from 26,000 to 240,000. The flood also caused the collapse of 5 million to 6.8 million houses. The dam failure took place in the context of the Cultural Revolution.

Siji Kaiyuan Hotel was a hotel in Songling, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. On 12 July 2021, an annex to the hotel collapsed due to illegal construction, killing 17 people and injuring another five.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Henan floods</span> 2021 floods in Henan, China

China's Henan Province experienced flooding between 17 and 31 July 2021 as a result of heavy rainfall. On July 20, Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, recorded 201.9 millimetres (7.95 in) of rainfall within an hour, the highest ever figure recorded since measurements began in 1951. On 2 August 2021, provincial authorities reported 302 deaths, and over 50 missing people. Later, government investigations led to conclude that provincial officials had “deliberately impeded and withheld reports of up to 139 cases”, and that the full death toll was 398. The floods caused the evacuation of 815,000 people, and affected 14.5 million people around the province. The intensity of the floods was believed to have been amplified by extreme weather caused by climate change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 China floods</span> Floods in China in 2021

Several floods struck China starting in June 2021, most of them caused by heavy rainfalls in different areas. According to the World Meteorological Organization, such heavy rains are frequently a result of climate change. The most notable floods were the 2021 Henan floods, which left 398 dead or missing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Ya'an earthquake</span> Earthquake in Sichuan Province, China

On June 1, 2022, a moment magnitude (Mw ) 5.8 or surface-wave magnitude (Ms ) 6.1 earthquake struck Lushan County in Ya'an, Sichuan Province, China. At least four people were killed and 42 were injured. The earthquake had a maximum intensity of VIII on the China seismic intensity scale, causing damage to many homes and triggering rockslides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Luding earthquake</span> Earthquake in China

A Mw 6.7 earthquake struck Luding County in Sichuan province, China on 5 September 2022 at 12:52:19 local time. The epicenter was located 226 km (140 mi) from Chengdu, or 43 km (27 mi) southeast of Kangding. Ninety-three people died, 424 were injured and 24 remained missing. More than 13,000 homes and other infrastructure were damaged or destroyed. It was the largest earthquake to strike the province since 2017.

References

  1. "Highway collapse kills dozens in southern China". CNN.com . 2 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  2. Dong, Joy; Bradsher, Keith (1 May 2024). "Expressway Collapses in Southern China Amid Heavy Rains, Killing 36". The New York Times . Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  3. "China highway collapse: Death toll rises to over 40 – DW – 05/02/2024". dw.com. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  4. "广东梅大高速发生路面塌方事故 造成19人死亡-中新网". www.chinanews.com.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  5. "截至2日下午2时,梅大高速茶阳路段发生塌方灾害致48人死亡_南方网". news.southcn.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  6. 新浪新闻综合 (2024-05-02). "梅大高速塌方灾害伤者情况如何?省市医疗专家披露救治详情". news.sina.com.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-05-04.