A tragic accident happened on June 24, 2025, in the form of a landslide caused by heavy monsoon rains that led to the partial collapse of the Houzihe Grand Bridge on the G76 Xiarong Expressway in Sandu County, Guizhou Province. A cargo truck ran into the compromised section and got suspended in mid-air above a deep chasm with its driver stuck in the cab. Thanks to the immediate emergency response, the driver was saved without fatalities.
/*Bridge Collapse and Rescue Mission*/
The bridge collapsed around 7:40 a.m. local time, following morning structural deformation reported during a routine patrol at 5:51 a.m., with traffic halted by 7:11 a.m. The emergency rescue team responded swiftly, 23 vehicles and 89 members of staff from the Guizhou Fire Service arrived on site and carried out a dangerous rescue, extracting the driver through the window using ropes and ladders. Amazingly, there were no reported fatalities, and a minimum of three idle construction machines were found at the crash site below.
/*Weather Context and Infrastructure Risk*/
The bridge collapse is a reflection of broader regional problems. Guizhou has been battered by record amounts of rain, with flood warnings issued across multiple river basins, such as Pingyong, Zhaihao, and Duliu, which have experienced some of the most severe flooding in more than 30 years. Meteorologists attributed steady rain, issuing a Level IV emergency flood warning. The collapse caused by the landslide reflects the aging infrastructure's vulnerability to increasingly severe climate catastrophes.
/*Precedents and Safety Implications*/
China has a sobering history of bridge failures: in July 2024, a highway bridge in Shaanxi’s Shangluo region collapsed during flooding, killing 38 and leaving 24 missing. In February 2024, Guangzhou’s Lixinsha Bridge was struck by a barge, causing a partial collapse that killed 5 and injured 3. Those past events led to calls for stricter infrastructure monitoring. Guizhou government authorities launched a probe, using drone scans and geological testing to try to determine fault lines and drainage collapse that may have been contributing factors.
/*Broader Impact and What Comes Next*/
The collapse highlights China's increasingly extensive infrastructure troubles as the world is hit by more extreme weather. The Houzihe disaster adds to a mounting list of weather-induced collapse that highlights the need for robust, resilience planning. China has increased inspection nationwide, spending on slope stabilisation and embankment strengthening. In Sandu County, the authorities plan to rebuild the bridge within months, alongside the launch of early warning systems and enhanced geological monitoring near endangered spans.