A Tragedy Caused by Prolonged Rainfall and Inadequate Engineering Practices

A Tragedy Caused by Multiple Factors

On May 1, 2024, a devastating landslide occurred on the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway in Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, claiming the lives of 52 people and injuring 30 others. The investigation report, released on Wednesday, concluded that the disaster was caused by a combination of factors, including prolonged rainfall, inadequate engineering practices, and weak regulatory oversight.

The landslide occurred in the early hours of May 1, during a period of light rain and poor visibility. The sudden increase in traffic volume further contributed to the tragedy. The collapse of half of the roadbed in the eastbound direction caused 23 vehicles to fall off the expressway, resulting in a horrific chain of events. The fallen vehicles caught fire, exacerbating the damage and making rescue efforts even more challenging.

The investigation revealed a series of shortcomings in the engineering, design, construction, supervision, acceptance, operation, and maintenance of the expressway. These shortcomings significantly compromised the roadbed's ability to withstand such disasters. Additionally, the report highlighted issues with government oversight, citing insufficient attention to high-fill embankment risks, inadequate awareness of prolonged rainfall hazards, weak groundwater prevention and monitoring, gaps in construction and maintenance management, and overlapping regulatory responsibilities leading to ineffective supervision.

The investigation concluded that the main cause of the disaster was prolonged rainfall, which led to groundwater accumulation and rising water levels. This increased hydrodynamic forces and reduced the slope's shear strength, ultimately triggering the sudden landslide of the roadbed and retaining wall.

In response to the tragedy, the investigation team proposed five key measures to enhance weather preparedness, improve roadbed safety, strengthen lifecycle management, boost risk monitoring, and raise societal risk awareness and self-rescue capabilities. These measures aim to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.

The "5·1" landslide disaster serves as a stark reminder of the importance of prioritizing safety in infrastructure development and maintenance. It also underscores the need for robust regulatory oversight and effective risk management strategies to mitigate the impact of natural disasters.