Heavy rain in Wuzhishan, Hainan, disrupts traffic, and high-speed rescue operations are underway across the board

China News Service, Hainan Wuzhishan, September 15th (Reporters Wang Xiaobin, Li Yufan, Luo Yunfei) "In response to the danger caused by this heavy rain, we are fighting on all fronts this time." At about 8 pm on September 14th, at the entrance of a tunnel in the direction of Wuzhishan from Sanya Haitang Bay on the S10 Shanhai Expressway, Liu Qingyang, the person in charge of the highway rescue site of Hainan Transportation Group, described the current rescue situation this way. On that day, Wuzhishan City's main external communication roads were completely shut down, and only emergency rescue vehicles were allowed to pass on each controlled road section.

At about 8 pm on September 14, at the entrance of a tunnel on the S10 Shanhai Expressway from Sanya Haitang Bay to Wuzhishan, workers were cleaning up road debris. Photo by reporter Luo Yunfei

According to statistics from the meteorological department, more than 600 millimeters of rain fell in the Wuzhishan area in the past 24 hours, which is rare in history. The reporter drove from Haikou to Wuzhishan on the afternoon of the 14th, and it was rainy and foggy all the way. When we arrived at Wuzhishan at night, the rain had stopped. At the rescue site, traces of landslides were visible on the slope on the right side of the tunnel entrance, and several excavators were removing the soil that had washed onto the road.

Liu Qingyang introduced that since the meteorological observatory issued the first red rainstorm warning at 8 a.m. on September 12, the highway patrol force has been working continuously for 38 hours. Heavy rain continued during the day on the 14th, and rescue workers were unable to go on the road on a large scale, but machinery, equipment and personnel had been prepared in advance. The rain subsided after 4 p.m., and cleanup work began one after another. As of that night, about 20 spots were expected to have been cleared.

At about 8 pm on September 14, at the entrance of a tunnel on the S10 Shanhai Expressway from Sanya Haitang Bay to Wuzhishan, workers were cleaning up road debris. Photo by reporter Luo Yunfei

"According to the flood season prevention working mechanism of the Ministry of Transport, when heavy rain reaches a certain duration and rainfall, highways should be closed to prevent natural disasters that continue to occur during heavy rains from threatening people's lives and property." Liu Qingyang said that the cleared points must be surveyed, tested, and evaluated before they can be opened until experts and third parties issue opinions to allow the opening.

"This is the first time I have encountered such a serious danger caused by heavy rains in more than 20 years of work." Liu Qingyang said that the single point of slope collapse is not a big challenge, but dangers occur at multiple points along the entire line at the same time. The front is stretched and the strength is weak. "Operations across the entire front make it difficult to concentrate our forces, which is what creates particular difficulties for us."

When the reporter left the rescue scene, rescue vehicles were still busy under the strong light of searchlights. The staff expects that the visible impact sand and other obstacles on the road will be cleared on the 15th. However, the completion of the cleanup does not mean it is open to traffic, and whether it can be opened remains to be further investigated.

As of press time at 22:00 on the 14th, Wuzhishan City’s external communication arterial roads were still not open to public vehicles, and the resumption of traffic is subject to further official announcement. (over)