4 Missing After Vessel Collides With Bridge In China, Rescue Operations Underway

Rescue workers were racing against time to look for the crew members who got washed away after the vessel they were on slammed into a bridge pier in Foshan (Guangdong province) as on 23 April noon.

The accident took place on 22 April night when a seagoing vessel carrying 11 sailors collided with the anti-collision pier of the Jiujiang Bridge on the G240 national highway located in Foshan’s Nanhai district at approximately 9:20 pm, according to Zhan Qianshang, the director of Foshan Nanhai District’s Maritime Safety Bureau.

The vessel sank at about 11:40 pm on 22 April.

Zhan stated that the cause of the accident was the improper operation of the crew members on board.

The river’s water level was significantly high and flowing fast when the accident occurred due to continuous rainstorms for many days.

He declared that the detailed cause of the accident continued to be investigated.

Ships nearby successfully rescued seven crew members.

Three were rescued immediately following the accident, and four were rescued early on 23 April morning.

The other four, namely a chef, the pilot, a sailor, and the first mate, continue to be missing.

The vessel was loaded with 4907 tons of coil steel. It was sailing to Fujian from Heshan when the accident occurred.

Following the accident, the Nanhai district’s traffic police department placed traffic control in both directions of the 1,682-meter-long Jiujiang Bridge for 24 hours starting from 6 am on 23 April.

In contrast, the maritime department enforced navigation control entering the water area three kilometres downstream and upstream of the Jiujiang Bridge.

Vehicles and vessels passing by are advised to take an alternate route.

When the incident was reported to Zheng Ke, the secretary of Foshan, Bai Tao, the mayor of Foshan, and Guo Weibin, the deputy director of the Guangdong Maritime Safety Bureau, they hurried to the scene to direct and coordinate rescue operations, requesting that the appropriate departments take all necessary precautions to search for and safely rescue the missing.

The Jiujiang Bridge’s main structure was not highly impaired after six bridge specialists conducted an initial investigation, but there were scratches on the bridge’s anti-collision piers, per the Foshan authorities.

Further, the specialists informed that a safety assessment of the bridge will be carried out.

However, according to the authorities, the construction of the anti-collision reinforcement undertaking for the bridge began on 23 April.

The Jiujiang Bridge was constructed in September 1985 and operated in June 1988.

It operates across the Xijiang River, the Pearl River’s main tributary, connecting Jiujiang township in Foshan’s Nanhai district and Heshan.

The Jiujiang Bridge is Asia-Pacific’s first-ever large-span double-sided single tower prestressed concrete cable-stayed bridge.

Reference: China Daily

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