Apart from the wheel hub, the other vehicle debris, resembling mud‑caked paper balls, is now barely recognizable.

5 month 7 At one o’clock in the morning, at S12 Meilong Expressway Eastern Extension Section K11+900m These parts, recovered from the landslide site, are laid out by the roadside. The more intact chassis have been set up on an open lot near the Meizhou Dapu County Transportation Administration. Most of the accident‑damaged vehicles are dented and deformed, with shattered glass; the remaining frames are coated in mud and sand. Some vehicles are missing their front ends and engines, bearing clear signs of burning. Each vehicle bears red‑painted numerical markings, from… “1” to “23” 。

According to the press conference on the rescue operation following the landslide on the Chayang section of the Meida Expressway, as of… 5 month 2 day 14 At that time, it had already been discovered. 23 A vehicle has fallen in, 48 One person died, and another… 3 person DNA To be further compared and confirmed; 30 A person was injured, but there is currently no threat to their life.

The Paper learned from informed sources that the section of road where the collapse occurred had previously… 2022 year 8 Water‑related damage occurred on the slope, including slope failures and damage to chute structures; subsequent measures were implemented to reinforce the slopes and improve drainage. The rehabilitation plan was developed from… 2023 year's 4 Moon arrives 9 The monthly phases have been completed.

In addition, a survey by The Paper revealed that this section of road and its surrounding areas had undergone multiple rounds of inspection and maintenance prior to the incident. Specifically, in the month leading up to the landslide, there were at least… 5 The batch’s maintenance personnel had carried out drainage system cleaning and other work within one kilometer upstream and downstream of the collapse site; one week before the collapse, they had also conducted similar operations in the surrounding area of approximately… 500 At the site, backfilling and sealing were carried out on a partially hollowed-out section of the second‑level slope platform, and fallen trees were cleared, with the nearest tree located approximately 30 meters away. According to maintenance personnel, no pavement abnormalities were observed along the affected stretch in the hour preceding the landslide.

As the operator and manager of the Meida Expressway, Guangdong Dachao Expressway Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as… “ Da Chao Company ” ) sorted out 2024 The Meida Expressway has several key slope sections. 41 location, including the site of this landslide K11+870-K12+153 At the downstream embankment slope, and installed GNSS Automated monitoring equipment.

Chen Zhipeng, a scholar specializing in geotechnical engineering and slope stability analysis, told The Paper that mountainous roads typically do not undergo extensive reinforcement. “ Balancing security and the economy ” ; Highway design takes into account 50 Year, 100 Annual heavy rains and floods, yet extreme adverse weather conditions may also exceed the road’s capacity.

Within the industry, the inspection and maintenance of slope‑roadbeds are constrained by factors such as funding, manpower, and technology—even when equipped with intelligent slope‑displacement monitoring systems. GNSS There may also be monitoring blind spots. Li Jiachun, an associate professor at the School of Highway Engineering of Chang’an University, pointed out to The Paper that if a landslide occurs suddenly, then… GNSS The equipment may not have enough time to issue an early warning.

According to Xinhua News Agency as well 5 month 4 According to reports, immediately following the landslide, the Guangdong Provincial Government established a disaster investigation and assessment team headed by the provincial governor. At present, the cause of the disaster is under investigation and evaluation.

 

5 month 1 On [date], certain roads in Sanhe Town, Dapu County, were closed due to safety hazards in the roadbed. Photo by澎湃 News reporter Ren Wu.

 

“ After about ten cars had fallen, it began to catch fire. ”

Braving life and death, 67 At the age of [age], Huang Jiandu watched thick smoke billowing from the site of the landslide.

4 month 30 In the evening, his son-in-law drove a car with his family. 7 The group was traveling from Longgang, Shenzhen, back to their hometown in Meizhou. Around 2:30 a.m. the next day, as they were on the Meida Expressway, everyone in the car was asleep when the vehicle suddenly jolted, startling them awake.

Rao Xinyu, Huang Jiandu’s granddaughter, recalls that at the time, the roadside guardrail behind them was sinking downward, and the right tire had become lodged in a cracked seam in the road, causing it to burst. Despite this, her father kept his foot firmly on the gas pedal, accelerating; the car, tossed violently, nearly slammed into the guardrail before finally barreling through the suddenly collapsed section of pavement.

On-site photos show that the affected section is a four-lane双向 road, with the collapse beginning at the median strip in the center of the roadway. According to an earlier report by the Southern Daily, the collapsed portion of the road stretches approximately… 17.9 Rice, with an area of approximately 184.3 Square meters. After charging through the landslide for a hundred or two hundred meters, Huang Jiandu’s family hurried out of the car and rushed back, raising their flashlights to signal vehicles to stop—but still, some cars plunged into the pit.

In a moment of urgency, Huang Jiandu squeezed through the guardrail beside him, crossed into the oncoming lane, and knelt down to bring to a halt more than a dozen vehicles that were trying to move forward. He recalled to The Paper that, “ When I knelt down to stop the vehicles, there was no fire at the landslide site yet; without any flames or thick smoke, the cars approaching couldn’t make out what lay ahead. After roughly ten vehicles had plunged down, a tram tumbled over the edge and caught fire. ”

Several eyewitnesses to the landslide told The Paper that some vehicles at the site were piled on top of one another, accompanied by explosions. According to Hu Juntao… 5 month 1 early morning 2 dot 27 A screenshot from WeChat Moments shows, under the cover of night, vast plumes of thick smoke dyed red by the glow of flames. “ The bridge has collapsed, and many cars have plunged into the abyss, with explosions erupting one after another. We’re just a hair’s breadth away from death. 100 Meter. ”

37 The year-old Liu Yongjin and “00 after ” Retired soldier Cai Xuanda chose to risk his life in rescue operations.

Liu Yongjin recalled that at the time, more than a dozen vehicles caught fire one after another, and people were climbing out of their cars, standing three to four meters away from the flames. After spotting an opening in the roadside ditch, they climbed down along the guardrail, using one hand to operate their phone’s flashlight and the other to grip the thatch on the slope to prevent slipping.

“ The vertical drop from the roadbed to the ground below is approximately 4 About a meter or so, but after walking for five or six minutes… ” , Liu Yongjin said, they left. “Z” The figure edged closer and closer to the landslide site, where darkness had settled so thickly that he could only orient himself by the cries for help and the sparks from burning vehicles. He heard four explosions; with each blast, shouts for aid echoed up from the base of the slope just a few meters away.

The six injured people he helped rescue came from three different vehicles involved in the accident, and the youngest girl was only 3 At the age of [year], when Liu Yongjin handed her over to Cai Xuanda, she leaned against his shoulder and spat out several mouthfuls of fresh blood; the girl’s father… 30 In his forties, he claimed his ribs were all broken; clutching at the thatch, he struggled to climb upward, while he braced the other man’s buttocks and exerted force together.

Liu Yongjin recalled that there was also a boy, about ten years old, who kept clutching his left leg and crying out in pain, saying his mother was still trapped beneath the vehicle and begging him to go rescue her. But the wrecked car was too difficult to approach, so he could only grab the boy under the arms with both hands and hoist him up, handing him over to Cai Xuanda. As the flames rose almost level with the road surface, waves of searing heat surged toward them, and they dared not linger any longer.

A netizen who identified themselves as a family member of the victim 5 month 4 On social media, it was stated that, 4 month 30 On the evening of [date], his family of five was returning to Meizhou from Foshan when they encountered a sudden landslide upon exiting the highway. As their vehicle plunged into a deep pit roughly two stories high, several cars were already at the bottom. His two-and-a-half-year-old son was thrown from the back seat and slammed into the windshield, and all family members had fallen into unconsciousness. After carrying his son to a safer mound of earth, he turned back but found that the rear door would not open. In the meantime, more vehicles tumbled down, and flames began to spread; he could only pick up his son and keep climbing. His wife, his mother, and his mother-in-law were all engulfed by the fire, while his son was rushed to the hospital with a cerebral hemorrhage. ICU Treatment.

A reporter from The Paper contacted a source close to the netizen, who said the child has now been transferred to a regular ward.

According to the plan, Zhang Wanwan’s family and two friends were set to drive to Xiamen for a holiday on May Day. The group traveled in two cars, with Zhang Wanwan, her husband, their two children, and her older cousin. 5 One person in one car, two friends in another. After the landslide, Zhang Wanwan’s family tragically fell to their deaths, while her friend pulled over at a service area to use the restroom and ended up falling behind, narrowly escaping disaster.

Zhang Wanwan and her husband both hail from Jiangxi. The couple has been running a business in Guangzhou for many years, and their two children are currently attending primary school.

 

Some vehicles are missing their front hoods, with obvious signs of burning.
Cover News   Figure

An official from Dachao Company stated that the road sections under its jurisdiction total 1000 Multiple cameras were in operation; prior to the incident, staff had just completed a routine surveillance patrol with no abnormalities detected. Upon receiving notification from the traffic police about the accident, authorities immediately reviewed several surveillance feeds along the affected stretch of road but found that the network had been disrupted, preventing any footage from being displayed.

Following the incident, local authorities mobilized a wide range of emergency response teams, including emergency services, public security, fire departments, health authorities, transportation agencies, and telecommunications providers. 577 People, mobilize all types of rescue vehicles. 64 vehicles, and launched a comprehensive search-and-rescue operation after the incident.

5 month 2 On [date], Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, held a press conference on this accident and announced that, as of 2:00 p.m. that day, the accident had resulted in… 48 One person died, and three others… DNA Currently being compared and confirmed. There is… 23 Vehicles were buried in the landslide, with most of them deeply concealed under layers of earth; moreover, some vehicles caught fire, further complicating rescue efforts. Earlier, heavy local rainfall had left the soil loose and unstable, making it difficult for heavy rescue equipment to reach the core area.

5 month 10 On [date], the Meizhou Municipal Committee for the Assessment of Acts of Bravery and Righteousness announced its intention to recognize Huang Manqiu, Huang Jiandu, Wang Xiangnan, Liu Yongjin, Cai Xuanda, and others. 5 Acts of bravery, such as flagging down vehicles and providing rescue assistance, during the disaster on the Meida Expressway.

 

The slope along the accident‑prone section was reinforced last year.

Before the landslide occurred, villager He Shenwei had at one point thought it was a highway slope. “ Flood conveyance ” Done.

The section where this incident occurred is part of the eastern extension of the Meizhou–Dapu Expressway, running through a mountainous area in Anqian Village, Chayang Town, Dapu County, Meizhou, and at… 2014 year 12 It was completed and opened to traffic this month. Last year, He Shenwei undertook the project to convert the Shantang Reservoir in Anqian Village into a duck pond; the site is located at the foot of the mountain, directly below the landslide area, about 400 meters away in a straight line.

And since 4 Since the beginning of the month, Meizhou has experienced multiple rounds of heavy rainfall, with the city’s average cumulative precipitation totaling… 621.7 Millimeters, above the long-term average for the same period. 2.49 times, already surpassing the highest level recorded since meteorological observations began. 4 Monthly record for the highest rainfall amount (1980 year 437.3 millimeter ) . Locally from 4 month 16 Day arrives 5 month 1 Day, consecutive 16 It’s raining.

An individual who once took part in the construction of the Meida Expressway extension told The Paper that the section where the landslide occurred runs through a mountainous area and, at the time, was… “ Built by carving into the mountain ” Yes. In the event of heavy rainfall, small-scale landslides frequently occur on the rural roads in nearby villages.

With rain falling steadily, He Shenwei watched as the water level in the duck pond kept rising. The dirt track leading to the duck house had been submerged, and even a bulldozer couldn’t help; so he switched to a small boat to transport feed. Meanwhile, the pond grew increasingly murky under the torrential runoff rushing down from higher ground.

He recalled that, 4 month 28 In the morning, water surged down the slope, “ Rushing ” He flushed for nearly an hour, and the water was mixed with a lot of sediment. When he… 5 month 1 In the early hours of the morning, we received another notice from the village committee: the duck house had been almost completely collapsed by a landslide, and a cordon had been set up at the scene, making it impossible to approach.

Public records show that, 2021 year 1 month 1 Effective from this date, the operational management of the Meida Expressway has been taken over by Dachao Company, whose largest shareholder is Guangdong Transportation Industrial Investment Co., Ltd. ( hereinafter referred to as “ Guangdong Communications Investment Company ” ).

The Paper has learned that, including the site of this collapse, K11+870-K12+153 The downstream embankment slope belongs to Dachao Company. 2024 Yearly recorded 41 At one of the key slope sections, the geological conditions consist of sandy soil, and arch‑shaped skeletal grass‑seeded slope protection has been implemented for slopes of Grades I through III. However, the slope in the section where this collapse occurred is a site of rainwater‑induced deterioration that had already undergone repair prior to the disaster.

2022 year 8 In the month, Dachao Company discovered K11+870 To K12+153 Downhill slope of the road section (including the site of this recent landslide) K11+900 ) Upon the occurrence of water‑damage defects, the China Communications Second Highway Consultants Co., Ltd. was commissioned to prepare the construction design for repair and rehabilitation works.

Following on-site inspection, the secondary slope in question exhibits surface slumping, cracking and deformation of the arched framework, and damage to the surface runoff channel.

At that time, the treatment plan involved reshaping and reinforcing the slope; the reshaped slope was then treated with… C20 Concrete was used for slope protection; the chute, platform diversion ditches, and inspection steps were repaired; and the spacing of drainage holes at the toe and along the slope surface was reduced to ensure effective drainage of seepage water from the slope body.

After the restoration project plan has been approved, from… 2023 year's 4 Moon arrives 9 The monthly phases have been completed.

In the view of Wang Lei, a bridge and road engineer specializing in highway construction and maintenance, the aforementioned slope failures caused by water damage are often attributable to inadequate drainage, insufficiently deep trenches, or structural damage. Intense rainfall leads to erosion and infiltration, reducing soil strength, increasing its self-weight, and thereby compromising slope stability.

Chen Zhipeng, a scholar specializing in geotechnical engineering and slope stability analysis, argues that, from a geotechnical perspective, the aforementioned remediation scheme—employing a concrete facing wall—can indeed effectively ensure slope stability. However, if the road drainage system is inadequate, water pressure will be transmitted into the soil mass, potentially giving rise to adverse side effects.

Chen Zhipeng stated that mountainous roads are generally not subject to special reinforcement unless the site has poor engineering geological conditions and is located in particularly sensitive or critical areas—such as where a slope directly abuts residential neighborhoods, industrial zones, or vital infrastructure. In this instance, the section affected by the landslide did not exhibit any of these conditions, and given Meizhou’s topographical characteristics, “ If every stage is executed with meticulous care, the project’s cost would become prohibitively high. In any construction endeavor, safety and cost-effectiveness must be balanced. ”

“ In the design of highway subgrades, factors such as heavy rainfall and flood frequency are always taken into account, for example: 50 Once a year, 100 Once a year. In the event of extremely severe weather, it may also exceed its capacity. ” He said.

According to the press conference, as of… 5 month 2 On [date], Dachao Company has convened the project’s design firm, the maintenance‑design firm, and slope‑stability experts to conduct an on‑site inspection and develop a repair plan for the affected road sections.

The Paper has repeatedly reached out to the company to learn about the design, monitoring, and maintenance of the section where the incident occurred. The company stated that it is cooperating with the investigation and has no further information to disclose.

At present, national and Guangdong provincial geological experts have arrived on site to conduct a disaster‑site investigation, assess the stability of the landslide mass and the surrounding slopes, delineate safe and hazardous zones, and provide guidance for establishing hazard‑zone boundaries. 5 Individual manual observation stations, deployed 2 An instrumented observation site conducts monitoring of the hazard body and its surrounding slope. 24 Hourly monitoring.

 

Challenges in Subgrade Maintenance and Monitoring

Following the incident, maintenance crews stationed nearby rushed to the scene and began setting up road barriers. Fire and rescue personnel subsequently arrived. Road maintenance workers are typically the closest to this highway, yet even after the accident, they were taken by surprise by the severity of the disaster.

According to the tendering and bidding information publicly disclosed by Dachao Company, 2023 Since [year], Guangdong Guanyue Road & Bridge Co., Ltd., Guangdong Lulutong Co., Ltd., Guangdong Xinyue Transportation Investment Co., Ltd., and Guangdong Jingtong Highway Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. have jointly participated in the projects managed by Dachao Company. S11 The Dachao Expressway and S12 Routine maintenance of the Meida Expressway.

Several maintenance personnel on the Meida Expressway stated that their daily duties include, but are not limited to, inspecting and repairing road guardrails, traffic signs, pavement cracks, potholes, drainage ditches, and slope stability.

One of the maintenance workers stated that his maintenance team, 3 Since [month], the priority has been to clear the highway drainage system, and by [date]… 4 This month, with continuous rainfall, the workload for cleaning and maintenance has increased, leading to an expansion in both the number of personnel and the shift schedules of the maintenance team.

From 3 Month to 4 At the end of the month, there are at least 5 The batch’s maintenance personnel had been at the accident site and its vicinity. 1 Within the designated kilometer stretch, maintenance activities were carried out, including drainage system cleaning, slope inspections, roadside grass cutting, and replanting of seedlings.

Among them, 4 month 25 On [date], maintenance personnel were at a location near the landslide site. 500 At the location of the dome, backfilling and sealing were carried out to address localized undermining on the secondary slope platform. 4 month 27 On that day, maintenance personnel were located near the landslide site. 30 At Dumi’s location, he felled the fallen tree.

A maintenance worker told The Paper that around 4:30 p.m. the day before the incident, he drove through the collapsed section of road and did not notice any standing water, cracks, or other abnormalities. Less than an hour before the accident, another staff member also drove through the same stretch without detecting any obvious irregularities.

After the accident, maintenance worker Zhou Shicheng and his colleagues rushed to the scene. After clearing the weeds and shrubs from the slope, cracks and landslides became visible, and even some of the drainage pipes were choked with vegetation. He recalled that there was one particularly severe spot. —— The retaining wall cannot drain water, and the maintenance worker drilled approximately… 20 Every hole in the rice has running water.

In Chen Zhipeng’s view, if workers did not notice any cracks in the road surface before the collapse, another possibility is that the pavement had separated from the underlying foundation soil. He explained that, 4 Since [month], Meizhou has experienced continuous heavy rainfall, which may result in… “ The water pressure is too high, and the groundwater is not being drained in a timely manner. ” As the amount of fracture water within the mountain increases, the pore water pressure between the pavement and the subgrade also rises, ultimately pushing the subgrade outward. “ Push ” It went down.

Unlike what has been reported in the media, “ Road surface collapse ” , Chen Zhipeng believes that the disaster on the Meida Expressway should perhaps be described as “ Subgrade slope collapse ”。

A roadbed refers to an earthwork structure formed through excavation or embankment. According to Chen Zhipeng’s analysis, constructing a highway on such a hillside typically involves excavating the inner section and backfilling the outer section to create a level surface. In this instance, the initial failure occurred at the median barrier of the roadway, which also marks the interface between the cut and fill areas.

Inspecting and maintaining slope embankments is an integral part of road maintenance; however, constrained by funding, manpower, and technical capabilities, issues with the subgrade may be overlooked during routine upkeep.

Bridge inspection engineer Zhang Yue told The Paper that, constrained by cost pressures, subgrade inspections largely rely on manual methods—yet this approach struggles to adequately assess certain steep, densely vegetated slopes.

If you want to use a drone, Zhang Yue noted, you not only need to obtain approval but also must conduct… in advance. AI Identification training may exceed the budget. He believes that, under ideal conditions, satellite‑based screening technology would be far more efficient for detecting subsurface hazards in roadbeds.

“ Dachao Expressway ” In 3 month 29 In a public‑account article published today, it was noted that, in order to fully launch pre‑flood slope safety risk assessments and hazard remediation, the company has mobilized… “ Manual surveying combined with drones ” , utilization “ Beidou Intelligent Monitoring Data Assessment ”， “ Deploy personnel for inspection and investigation. 200 X person-times, equipped with drones 5 Tai, inspecting high slopes 130 place ”。

Regarding whether Hualu Company and the local Natural Resources Bureau received any early warnings prior to the incident, The Paper contacted the relevant authorities but did not receive a response.

Road and bridge engineer Wang Lei pointed out that even with instrument-based monitoring, it is difficult to monitor every section of the roadbed if the route is excessively long.

In addition, Li Jiachun stated in an interview with The Paper that landslides can be categorized as either slow-moving or sudden; only the former can be addressed using… GNSS Issue an early warning. However, if this disaster is primarily driven by a rapid increase in soil moisture, monitoring groundwater levels or water pressure might prove more effective.

Regarding the prevention of rainwater infiltration into soil, Associate Professor Zhai Qian of the School of Civil Engineering at Southeast University introduced the capillary barrier system, which has already been widely promoted and implemented in Singapore. This system effectively inhibits rainwater infiltration while having no adverse impact on the daily evaporation of moisture from the soil. “ The capillary barrier system is primarily divided into three layers: the first is a vegetated layer, suitable for growing green vegetation; the second is a fine‑grained layer, serving mainly as a drainage layer; and the third is a coarse‑grained layer, functioning primarily as a water‑stop layer. ”

Chen Zhipeng stated that this accident serves as a reminder that the level of prevention and control for geological hazards in slope engineering still needs improvement. He told The Paper that, to prevent similar landslides on mountainous roads, engineering design and maintenance should be staffed with engineers possessing expertise in geotechnical engineering. However, at present, geotechnical engineers in China do not enjoy a high professional standing; they face price‑cutting pressures during tendering, and their project plans often lack the depth and meticulousness required. Moreover, once problems are identified during operations, the costs of road repairs and the efficiency of traffic flow can become significant constraints.

After the accident, 5 month 4 On [date], the Guangdong Provincial Department of Natural Resources held a province-wide video conference, calling for the swift organization of a comprehensive survey to identify geological hazard risks and potential hazards, with a particular focus on… “ By the mountains, by the water, by the village ” In key areas prone to disasters—such as junctions, locations adjacent to mountains, cliffs, or slopes—as well as in critical sites where geological hazard mitigation projects have been completed or are under construction, conduct… “ Net-style ” Conduct comprehensive inspections. Upon identifying risks and potential hazards, promptly implement control measures to minimize all types of risks. Strengthen meteorological forecasting and early warning for geological disasters, and rigorously analyze and assess data from monitoring stations, issuing timely warnings. Prioritize the safety of people’s lives and ensure the orderly evacuation and relocation of residents to safe areas.

(To protect the privacy of the interviewees, Hu Juntao, Zhang Wanwan, Chen Zhipeng, Wang Lei, Zhou Shicheng, and Zhang Yue are pseudonyms.)

The Paper reporter Ren Wu Chen Lei Liu Yuxiu Intern Lin Mingqin Zhong Chen Zhang Yuxin Yang Chunxi

( This article is sourced from The Paper. It was uploaded and published by The Paper; this piece is a reprint intended solely for educational and informational purposes, and the copyright remains with the original author and the original publication. (Deletion for infringement)