The captain of a sand-laden boat that plowed into Jiujiang Bridge in southern Guangdong Province on June 15, causing it to collapse and killing eight people, was arrested on Friday, August 3 and charged with violating traffic regulations, announced the Zhuhai City procurator.
After departing from Foshan City at 4.30 AM on June 15, the captain Shi Guide steered his vessel “Nanguiji 035” down the river and headed for Shunde City. At around 5 AM, a thick fog descended, shrouding the vessel in mist near Jiujiang Bridge. Ordinarily, the captain should have ordered the ship to weigh anchor or to proceed at minimal velocity but he decided to press on.
When approaching the bridge, the boat collided with a navigation mark, a mere 80 meters from the bridge. The captain then realized his boat had veered away from the normal course but still did not stop but ordered his crew to navigate through the piers.
At 5.10 AM, the side of the boat careened into a supporting pillar, causing the bridge to collapse. Four vehicles carrying seven people plunged off the bridge along with two bridge workers. Eight have been confirmed dead with one driver still missing.
The captain's negligence having led to this disaster, he has been arrested. When interviewed, the captain revealed that he mistook the lights on the piers for navigation lights and steered straight on into the bridge. All the crew members survived due to the good fortune of having been assembled at the stern when the prow of their boat crashed into the piers.
(China.org.cn by He Shan, August 3, 2007)
