Henan Bridge Collapse: Explosion Before or After Collapse?

Today, the big news on the homepages of many major Chinese web portals is the explosion and collapse of a bridge in Henan province resulting in multiple trucks and cars plunging down into the deep valley…

On NetEase:

Henan Bridge Collapse, Still Uncertain If Explosion Occurred Before Collapse

At 8:52 on the morning of February 1st, a cargo truck transporting fireworks suddenly exploded while traveling eastbound on the Lianhuo highway over the Yichang Bridge at the 741km marker in Mianchi County of Sanmenxia City in Henan province. According to media reports at 11am, the accident had already caused 26 deaths. According to the Henan Provincial Safety Supervision Bureau’s latest information at 1:30pm, the Lianhuo Highway Yichang Bridge Roadway Collapse had so far caused 9 confirmed deaths and 13 injured. The blastwave lifted and flipped approximately 10 nearby vehicles into the ravine, shattering many of the windows of the nearby Mianchi Service Area. Currently, whether it was the explosion that caused the collapse of the bridge deck or the explosives exploding after the collapse of the bridge deck has not been determined. Photos from the internet.

Comments on NetEase:

白交易 [网易江西省网友]：

Government leaders secretly smirk: Good explosion, we now have another bridge to repair, and the opportunity to embezzle money has arrived again. Truly a godsend!

网易江苏省苏州市网友:

Fuck, if they make the driver pay for this [compensate for the damages], he could sell his body for a thousand years and it wouldn’t be enough!

CIA局长 [网易山东省烟台市网友]： (responding to above)

The driver’s already dead, unless they have him continue with his next life?

溪笑鱼 [网易广东省广州市网友]： (responding to above)

This explosion definitely isn’t a random occurrence. Yuanfang, what do you think?

32356812 [网易山东省济南市网友]： (responding to above)

The great country is playing a very big game.

人民公仆小李同志 [网易吉林省长春市网友]： (responding to above)

Yuanfang, you sure this isn’t a terrorist attack by the East Turkestan Liberation Organization?

我自疯癫向天笑 [网易广东省广州市网友]： (responding to above)

Sir, in my humble opinion, this definitely is a planned event. I bet this truck of weapons was to be used to cause trouble, and was taken out by the authorities.

网易山东省临沂市网友： (responding to above)

This makes me think of that one person who build that one bridge, that up until 2012 September 26 had achieved 21,870 days of safe crossing for vehicles and people and remained firm and upright. Reportedly someone wanted to blow it up and rebuild it, but said if the explosives were not planted properly, it would fail to bring it down. Old Mr. Mao, how are these money-hungry government officials supposed to deal with this. Then look at bridges today. How are we supposed to believe “knowledge moves people forward”? How is it that the more things are built and repaired, the worse/shoddier they become?

月经献给党 [网易河南省商丘市网友]：

Tofu-dreg construction, rotten to the core, all because of corruption! Corruption all because of the system [government]! And we’re supposed to compete with the Republic of China [or possibly “democratic” countries]! There is absolutely no comparison!

sli2008 [网易山东省青岛市手机网友]：

The bridge’s construction quality should be investigated.

zlg05 [网易河北省唐山市网友]： (responding to above)

No matter how well-built the bridge is, a truck full of explosives will still bring it down!

yamatomi [网易新加坡网友]： (responding to above)

That was explosives?

网易河北省唐山市网友 [zlg05] 的原贴： (responding to above)

A cargo truck of fireworks/firecrackers!

yamatomi [网易新加坡网友]： (responding to above)

First, that’s gunpowder not explosives. Second, a truck full of fireworks and firecrackers couldn’t possibly explode all at once. Third, the point of explosion wasn’t on the bridge pillar or the bridge surface. If the pressure of the blast alone could split/break the deck of the bridge, you don’t think there’s a problem with the quality of the bridge’s construction?

谢绝跨省跨国 [网易江苏省无锡市网友]：

Hope the ordinary common people can have a good Chinese New Year!
Hope those going home can all safely get home!

霍元A [网易四川省网友]：

Xinhuanet Zhengzhou February 1st report, this reporter learned at 3pm from firefighters at the scene participating in the rescue that the explosion and collapse of the Lianhua Highway Henan Yichang Bridge that morning caused at least 25 automobiles to fall from the bridge.
9 dead + 11 injured = 20 people. First, 90% of large cargo trucks have two people on board. Even if there were one, were there 5 cars without anyone driving them?

你看正好七个字 [网易河南省郑州市网友]： (responding to above)

Look at those vehicles, judging by the look of things there should be more than 9 vehicles, and its unlikely that anyone would survive. So there really must’ve been driver-less vehicles. Our country’s technology truly is advanced…

网易陕西省西安市网友：

This bridge is too TM funny, and it’s fireworks too, and what more, even exploding on the top of the bridge can bring the bridge down… Fucking even bridges during World War 2 wouldn’t budge if you didn’t calculate precisely where to place the explosives…refer to The Bridge on the River Kwai.

A video of the scene of the collapse currently featured on the front page of popular Chinese video-sharing website Youku with nearly 1 million views so far since it was uploaded 9 hours ago: