Five people, including three children, died on Monday night after a private car plunged off a bridge into a river in Changting, Fujian province, local authorities said.
The incident occurred around 10pm in Xinqiao town. CCTV footage showed a woman driving the car, which turned and then continued straight off the bridge. Two passers-by attempted to intervene but could not prevent the crash.
Online speculation suggests the driver had been drinking and asked his inexperienced wife to take the wheel. The car reportedly hit a roadside kerb before the driver failed to straighten the steering wheel or mistakenly pressed the accelerator, sending the vehicle off the bridge.
The location where the car plunged off the bridge into a river
A nearby shopkeeper told Hongxing News that two adults and three children were in the car, with heavy rain falling at the time. The bridge remains closed to traffic. According to reports, three of the victims were a family of three.
Rescue workers attempted multiple retrievals before finally hoisting the vehicle out of the water around 3am. The rescue operation concluded around 5am.
Witnesses said the river level was normally about thigh-deep but had risen to an estimated two meters due to seasonal rain on the night of the accident.
Township government officials confirmed that the vehicle and victims have been recovered. Police are investigating the cause of the accident.
