In a terrifying incident captured on camera, a cargo truck was seen hanging from a collapsed highway bridge in China’s southwestern Guizhou province.
The collapse, which occurred on the morning of June 24, Tuesday, was triggered by a landslide following torrential rainfall in the region.
The truck, the only vehicle on the Houzihe Bridge, a part of the Xiamen-Chengdu Expressway, was left teetering over the edge. Thankfully, no injuries were reported according to local media. The driver, who was trapped inside the suspended vehicle, was safely rescued by the local fire department.
Reuters shared the now-viral video on X, saying, “A truck, with the driver inside, was seen hanging over a collapsed bridge after a landslide in China.” The chilling footage has garnered over 42.4K views.
Watch here:
Reactions flooded social media, with one user calling it “absolutely terrifying,” adding, “Nature’s force is no joke.”
Another said, “Holyyyy cow,” a third user wrote, “God have mercy.”
In a follow-up interview shared by Shanghai Eye on X (@ShanghaiEye), the , You Guochun, described the moment the bridge gave way, “When the front of my truck reached the section that later collapsed, I felt the ground sink slightly. I immediately hit the brakes, but the momentum carried the truck forward. Suddenly, the entire bridge in front of me disappeared. I was scared and just froze.”
Watch the interview:
According to Asia One, You said that rescue teams arrived promptly. Firefighters threw a ladder onto the truck and guided him to climb to safety via the lorry’s roof.
According to Global Times, local transportation authorities had detected structural deformation on the bridge during a routine inspection at 5:51 AM on the same day. Traffic control for the uphill lanes was swiftly enforced by 7:11 AM.
Authorities also confirmed that three vehicles were found beneath the collapsed structure, but clarified that no individuals were inside. An investigation into the cause of the incident and repair measures is currently underway, as reported by China Daily.
According to Reuters, the World Meteorological Organisation under the United Nations has warned that Asia has been warming nearly twice as fast compared to the global average, which is leading to extreme weather changes in the continent.