At about 16:40 on May 4, 2025, four cruise ships capsized during strong winds on the Wu River in Qianxi, Guizhou Province, China, causing 84 people to fall into the water, resulting 10 deaths and 70 injuries.[1]
The Wu River Source Hundred Miles Gallery Huawu Scenic Area is located in Huawu Village, Xinren Township, Qianxi, Bijie, Guizhou.[2] It is a tourist attraction famous for it's natural scenery and water tours. The accident occurred during May Day, and the scenic area was crowded with tourists.[3]
Weather conditions
Jimu News reported that the Guizhou Provincial Meteorological Observatory issued a yellow warning for severe convective weather at 3 p.m. on the same day, predicting that thunderstorms, gale force winds, hail and short-term heavy rainfall would occur in the southern part of Bijie, Qianxi. The Qingzhen Municipal Transportation Bureau, where the incident occurred, responded to reporters that after receiving the warning from the Meteorological Observatory at around 3 p.m. on the same day, it had issued a warning to relevant transportation companies through WeChat groups and other means.[3]
On the day of the incident, the Guizhou Provincial Meteorological Bureau compiled meteorological station data showing that hail occurred in 17 counties in the province and that 42 stations experienced winds of level 8 or above, with the maximum wind speed reaching 44.7 m/s (level 14 wind) in Huawu Village, Qianxi, at 16:33. The meteorological station was located near the Dongfeng Reservoir where the incident occurred.[4]
Accident
At about 16:40 on May 4, 2025, the Liuguang River Basin in the Huawu Scenic Area of the Wujiang Source Hundred Miles Art Gallery was suddenly affected by severe convective weather, causing four cruise ships to capsize during their voyage, resulting in a total of 84 people falling into the water.
The boats involved were operated by Donghu Agricultural Passenger Transport Co., Ltd. in Xidian, Qingzhen, Guiyang City. One boat was carrying 38 tourists and 2 crew members, and the other was carrying 35 tourists and 2 crew members. The other two boats that had already docked had a total of 7 cruise ship staff members. All boats were not overloaded.[5]
According to the several witnesses, the weather was fine before the accident, with no obvious abnormalities.[6] Residents of Huawu Village, which is close to the scenic area, pointed out that at around 4 p.m. that day, the scenic area was hit by strong winds and heavy rain for more than 20 minutes, and the severe weather caused some boats to lose control.[7]
A passenger on one of the cruise ships involved said that the cruise ship he was on was carrying about 20 passengers and was originally scheduled to depart from the pier according to the normal 40-minute route. After sailing for about 10 minutes, the weather suddenly changed. Within just a few minutes, there was thunder and lightning, heavy rain mixed with hail, accompanied by strong winds, and visibility dropped sharply. He pointed out that the ship he was on was close to the shore, and the captain responded in time and successfully avoided the danger; but another ship about 2-30 meters long capsized in the strong wind. He also mentioned that not wearing life jackets on the ship was allowed. It was only required to wear them when viewing the scenery on the upper deck, and most people on the lower deck did not wear them.[6]
Search and rescue and casualties
After the accident, residents of Huawu Village spontaneously participated in emergency support, including quickly clearing vehicles along the village road to make way for rescue, assisting the injured in getting to the hospital, and guiding other passengers to land.[7]
The local government activated the emergency plan and launched a large-scale search and rescue operation; the accident caused a total of 10 deaths, 70 injuries, and 4 survivors. The last missing person was found at about 1:00 p.m. on May 5 and was confirmed dead. The other 70 injured were all slightly injured and all were sent to Qianxi People's Hospital for treatment.[8]
According to the Guizhou Provincial Fire and Rescue Corps, the Corps dispatched eight detachments to the scene for support, using a total of 84 vehicles, 248 personnel, including 83 divers, 24 rescue boats and 16 underwater robot equipment to conduct a large-scale search and underwater operations in the waters where the incident occurred.[9] A large number of public security, medical and rescue personnel were involved in the work and Guizhou deployed nearly 500 people and sent 298 medical personnel, including provincial and municipal medical experts, to participate in the rescue.[10]
Zhang Guoqing, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and Vice Premier of the State Council, arrived at the scene in the early morning of May 5 and directed the rescue work together with officials from the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government. He also presided over a meeting to study and deploy the next steps.[11]
Reactions
Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, issued instructions on the accident, requiring all-out efforts to search and rescue those who fell into the water, treat the injured, properly handle the aftermath of the victims and comfort their families. He also pointed out that a series of safety accidents have occurred in some places recently, causing mass deaths and injuries, and stressed the need to effectively prevent the occurrence of major and serious safety accidents. Li Qiang, the premier of China, issued instructions, requiring comprehensive search and rescue and medical treatment work, as well as the implementation of comforting the families, aftermath arrangements and accident investigation.[12]
On the morning of May 5,[13] the Ministry of Water Resources,[14] the Ministry of Transport and the China Meteorological Administration held a special meeting with the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee.[15] The meeting stressed the need to learn lessons, strengthen safety measures and enhance flood control, conduct a comprehensive investigation and rectification of inland river passenger transport, and keep a close eye on severe convective weather monitoring, forecasting and warning.[16]
After the news of the boat capsizings accident broke, it quickly attracted attention on social media in China. Some people expressed their condolences to the victims and their best wishes to the survivors on platforms such as Weibo, calling for the strengthening of safety measures for water activities, including mandatory wearing of life jackets. Some also reminded the public not to take chances when it comes to water safety.[7]
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