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:
- “The name of this expressway sounds awful.”
- “This highway keeps making the news for accidents; it should be renamed.”
- “You can’t ignore feng shui—call it Lucky Expressway instead.”
- “Lianhuo—‘continuous misfortune.’ Just change ‘Huo.’”
- “This highway really is plagued by accidents.”
As netizens noted, the G30 in Xinjiang has seen multiple serious accidents causing dozens of deaths.
- July 17, 2025: In Shandan County, Zhangye, Gansu, an overloaded heavy semi-truck lost braking on a long downhill, colliding with five queued passenger cars and two trucks, and crashing into a maintenance area. Eight people died and 20 were injured.
- July 21, 2023: In the Xinjiang section, a mini van ran off the road for unknown reasons and struck a heavy semi-truck off the roadway, killing all six occupants.
- July 17, 2023: Near Shandan County, Zhangye, Gansu, five passenger cars and three heavy trucks collided in a chain-reaction crash heading toward Xinjiang, leaving eight dead and six critically injured.
- April 6, 2020: In Yumen, Gansu, a small passenger car rear-ended a heavy semi-truck in the emergency lane and was crushed underneath, killing seven migrant workers from Sichuan.
- April 12, 2018: In Lianyungang, a large passenger bus overturned, crossed the median, and collided with an SUV, killing seven and injuring several.
- October 7, 2011: In Suzhou, Anhui, 24 vehicles collided in a chain-reaction crash, blocking over 100 vehicles and causing at least 10 deaths and more than 10 injuries.
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.”
Traffic accidents in China are a significant public safety concern, occurring frequently due to dense urban traffic, speeding, and inconsistent road safety enforcement, resulting in thousands of injuries and fatalities annually.
