Colossal 200-vehicle pile-up after fog descends on bridge, videos show

More than 200 vehicles were involved in a pile-up in central China on Wednesday due to heavy fog, local authorities said.

Pictures taken on the Zhengxin-Huanghe Bridge, a key intersection connecting the cities of Zhengzhou and Xinxiang in Henan Province, showed cars and trucks stopping sideways on the multi-lane road that was closed to traffic for several hours was.

On social media filming Spreading on Weibo, Twitter and elsewhere, drivers and passengers were seen standing on cars to examine the wreckage after dozens of vehicles collided due to poor visibility.

Zhengzhou Traffic Police said the pile-up happened around 7:40 a.m. local time on the southbound section of the bridge. Authorities estimated that between 280 and 290 vehicles were involved in the accident.

Injured drivers and passengers were taken to local hospitals for treatment, the emergency services said. At least one person died as a result of the pile-up, China’s state media said.

Witnesses told local media that heavy fog and icy roads contributed to the series of accidents at the major intersection. Visibility on the bridge dropped as low as 65 feet, they said.

Some vehicles were damaged while others were unharmed but got stuck in the pile-up that took place at three locations, witnesses said.

A widespread one picture showed at least one SUV stuck to the roof of a sedan surrounded by several other crashed cars on a section of the bridge.

Authorities announced the resumption of northbound traffic a little after 3:00 p.m. local time, but at the time of writing, wreckage was still clearing the southbound section. Zhengzhou police gave no estimate of when normal traffic would resume and asked drivers to use alternative routes.

Aerial photos from local news site Sohu showed several dozen vehicles still on the bridge after the fog cleared. The crossing is one of several connecting the banks of the Yellow River, the second longest in China.

The Henan Weather Service said areas including the provincial capital Zhengzhou had visibility below 650 feet as of 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Local traffic police also temporarily closed at least half a dozen other highways due to fog, according to an announcement on their social media account.

In November 2016, thick fog was also blamed for a pile-up involving dozens of vehicles in northern China’s Shanxi Province, killing 17 people, the country’s state media reported at the time.

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