Grateful China road collapse survivor makes 800km journey to thank elderly man who stopped cars from falling into abyss
- May Day mayhem sees 18-metre-long hole appear in motorway, 48 killed
- Hero elderly driver stands in road, stops vehicles, prevents further deaths
![A young man in China has made an 800-km trip to thank an elderly man who stopped his car from plunging into a deep hole that appeared in a highway in the south of the country. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/Baidu](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/15/9a02f36b-8093-4b9b-abd0-67a24a1c62ab_22ccd215.jpg?itok=mW8fLqaH&v=1715743644)
A man in China who was saved by an elderly man who risked his life to stop people from driving into a collapsed road has driven 800km to thank him.
In the early hours of May 1, an 18-metre-long section of motorway in a mountainous area of Guangdong, southern China, gave way, sending cars tumbling down a slope, leaving 48 people dead and 30 injured.
Huang Jiandu, 64, was a passenger in a vehicle that passed the section of road just before it collapsed.
After seeing the huge hole appear behind his car, Huang stopped and got out. He reached the other side of the pit, hoping to stop the following vehicles from driving on, reported state media CCTV.
Initially, Huang yelled at the oncoming traffic and asked drivers to stop, but he was ignored and cars dropped down into the abyss.
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