In an earlier statement, the local authorities said that an empty container ship had hit one of the supporting columns of the two-lane Lixinsha Bridge, fracturing the surface.
The crash, which city officials blamed on “improper operation” by the crew, occurred at about 5:30 a.m. Thursday in the Nansha district, the district said in a statement. Photos published by Chinese state media showed a large chunk missing from the bridge, which is the main thoroughfare crossing the Hongqili Channel between the island of Sanmin and the rest of the sprawling megacity. A local official told state media that ferries were being provided for residents.
Five vehicles fell when the bridge collapsed, two into the water and three onto the container ship, Guangzhou’s maritime bureau said in a statement.
Among the vehicles was a bus whose driver was the only person on board, the bus’s operator, Guangzhou Bus Group, said in a statement published by state media. It was unclear whether the driver was among the dead. A photograph published in state media showed a bus that appeared to have landed on the ship.
Six scuba divers and a salvage ship were sent to the scene, officials said, according to state media.
In 2021, the transport department in Guangdong Province, whose capital is Guangzhou, agreed to implement anti-collision measures on the bridge’s support columns, according to the state broadcaster China Central Television. The work was scheduled to be completed in 2022 but was postponed to 2023, and then to August 2024, with no reasons given for the delay, the broadcaster reported.
