As of: February 22, 2024, 8:00 a.m
By: Julia Hanigk
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A cargo ship rams a bridge in southern China, causing it to partially collapse.
Cars and a bus fall many meters into the depths.
A rescue operation is underway.
Guangzhou – There was a serious accident on the water in the southern Chinese region of Guangzhou.
Footage from a surveillance camera shows the accident: A freighter rammed a traffic bridge on Thursday morning (February 22nd), which broke away at the collision site and split the bridge into two parts.
According to initial reports, there are at least two deaths.
A freighter rammed a bridge in China.
©CCTV
Freighter causes bridge to collapse in China - several vehicles fall into the water
Southeast of the metropolis of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province in China, the ship crashed into the two-lane “Lixinsha” bridge, as the local authorities
announced on the online platform
Weibo .
The Chinese state news agency
People's Daily
said via X that five vehicles were affected, two of which fell into the river.
The remaining three vehicles fell onto the empty ship.
This was also confirmed by the maritime search and rescue center in Guangzhou.
Footage from the scene of the accident also showed a bus that had fallen into the cargo hold of the freighter.
According to Chinese media reports, only the driver was on board the bus.
The line operator was unable to contact him after the accident.
Rescue operation at the scene of the accident
Chinese state television showed footage from the scene of the accident, showing the freighter wedged between two bridge pillars.
There was a large gap in the two-lane bridge above.
According to official information, rescue workers immediately rushed to the scene of the accident.
The ship is apparently not carrying any cargo.
The number of deaths has now risen to two, and another three people are currently missing, according to
People's Daily.
A rescue operation was underway, it said.
Located on the Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou is one of mainland China's busiest seaports.
(jh with dpa)