Heavy vehicle overload likely cause of highway overpass collapse in E. China city

Heavy vehicle overload caused the collapse of a highway overpass in Wuxi City of east China's Jiangsu Province, an official in charge of highway administration said Thursday at a press conference.

Aerial view of the highway collapsed in Wuxi city, east China's Jiangsu province, 11 October 2019. [Photo: IC]

Preliminary analysis was jointly made by accident investigation experts from Wuxi City and the Ministry of Transport, and further investigation was ongoing, said Zhou Rongfeng, deputy chief of the highway bureau of the ministry.

Investigators found no cracks or break-offs in the highway overpass after it overturned, and the highway overpass had been properly designed and was up to standard, Zhou said at a regular press conference of the ministry.

The accident occurred at around 6:10 p.m. on Oct. 10 at a section of National Highway 312, causing three deaths.

To draw lessons from the accident, Zhou said that tougher measures would be taken to prevent vehicle overloading and that safety management would be further enhanced.