16 July 2016

Ya’an City, Sichuan: a video of a very near miss

Posted by Dave Petley

Ya’an City, Sichuan: a video of a very near miss

CCTV has published on Youtube a pretty dramatic video of a very near miss for a landslide in Ya’an City in Sichuan Province, China.  The accompanying text says:

Last Friday evening, when a bus with 42 passengers was driving at 318 National Road in Ya’an city, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, the 59-year-old driver noticed rocks sliding down from the mountain. He immediately pressed his brakes and reversed about 10 meters. The mountain collapsed in a minute and buried the place. But thankfully, the driver was quick enough to avert any untowardly incident.

The video is quite exciting.  The consequences should the bus have been in the wrong place are clear:

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Some images of the landslide appear to show a car caught up in the debris:

Ya'an City landslide

Ya’an City landslide via The People’s Daily

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Fortunately this looks to have been survivable for the occupants.  China Daily has more information about the landslide:

Huang Guiquan has been a driver all his life. He attributed his swift thinking to his long driving experience and familiarity with the road.   “It is important for a driver to be observant of the environment all around rather than just staring at the road ahead,” he said. It was raining. He decided to stop the bus when he saw some stones falling down the mountain slope. “Trees swayed on the mountainside, but there was no wind at that moment. I thought that it must be the mountain itself that was shaking so I backed up the bus,” he said.   The road is high on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and prone to snow in winter and landslides in summer. Huang is familiar with the road conditions on all his regular routes.   “I am particularly careful when driving through the sections with sharp turns, steep slopes or frequent landslides,” he said. “It is always better to stop than rush when in danger.”