Multiple Crashes on Lianhuo Expressway Leave 9 Dead, 7 Injured

On the evening of Dec. 6, two separate sections of China’s G30 Lianhuo Expressway, about one kilometer apart and roughly 70 kilometers from Wusu city in Xinjiang, were the sites of consecutive rear-end collisions involving 12 vehicles, resulting in 9 deaths and 7 injuries.

According to China Central Television (CCTV) News, the accidents occurred around 10 p.m. near the K3906 kilometer mark of the G30, involving five large vehicles and seven smaller cars.

Red Star News reported that drivers trapped on the expressway said the road was covered with thin ice and extremely slippery at the time of the accidents. On the morning of Dec. 7, a traffic officer from Wusu City Police Department stated that the road surface still had thin ice, and vehicles could not pass. The reopening of the road would depend on updated road conditions.

“I couldn’t brake at all; it was all ice. We got stuck on the road after 10 p.m. on the 6th,” said a self-driving tourist in Xinjiang who was trapped near the Tuotu service area. Some vehicles were gradually cleared, and she added, “When I got off the expressway on the morning of the 7th, I was still cautious and continued on the national highway to reach Wusu city.”

Local driver Mr. Wang noted that the affected sections usually have a high volume of trucks. “Because several surrounding roads have been under construction this year, many trucks have chosen to use the Lianhuo Expressway instead. Normally, we drive more carefully here,” he said.

Lianhuo Expressway plagued by accidents

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Public records show that the Lianyungang–Khorgas Expressway (commonly called the Lianhuo Expressway, G30 in China’s National Expressway Network) connects Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province to Ili Kazakh Prefecture in Xinjiang.

In light of repeated accidents, many mainland Chinese netizens have expressed superstitious concerns about the highway’s name:

As netizens noted, the G30 in Xinjiang has seen multiple serious accidents causing dozens of deaths.

The highway’s recurring accidents and heavy traffic have led to widespread public concern, with some netizens even calling for renaming the expressway due to superstition and fear of “continuous misfortune.”