A highway crash in eastern China that resulted in the deaths of dozens of transported pets has sparked widespread public anger, with pet owners accusing transport operators of misleading customers and concealing key details about the journey.
The incident occurred on June 13 along the G15 Shenyang–Haikou Expressway in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, when a vehicle carrying pets was involved in a rear-end collision that later caught fire.
According to reports, all animals inside the transport vehicle perished in the blaze.
Following the tragedy, several pet owners took to social media to share their experiences and raise concerns about the pet transport industry, alleging false advertising, subcontracting practices, unclear accountability and a lack of transparency from the companies involved.
One of the pet owners, identified as Ms Xu from Suzhou, said her pet cat named Beibei was among the animals killed in the incident.
She explained that Beibei had never travelled long distances before, prompting her to choose ground transportation instead of air travel out of concern that flying might cause excessive stress to the animal.
On the morning of June 13, Ms Xu contacted a pet transport service through the online marketplace Taobao. The cat was later delivered to a pet care facility in Suzhou before being loaded onto a transport vehicle that evening.
After the accident, pet owners began communicating with one another and discovered that multiple animals from different customers had been placed in the same vehicle.
Ms Xu estimated that approximately 23 animals, including both cats and dogs, were being transported at the time of the crash.
She claimed that customers had used different transport agents and companies but were unaware that their pets would ultimately be consolidated into a single vehicle.
According to Ms Xu, the company had promised a dedicated business-class transport service, assuring customers that each pet would have its own seat.
She said she would never have agreed to the arrangement had she known the animals would instead be transported in a sealed Iveco cargo van.
The tragedy has triggered calls for greater regulation and oversight of the pet transportation industry, with many owners demanding answers over how the animals were handled and whether safety standards were followed.
Local traffic police in Lianyungang confirmed that officers responded to the crash on the night of the incident and handled the scene according to standard procedures.
However, authorities said further details regarding the cause of the accident would only be available after a full investigation is completed.
The incident has since become a major topic of discussion online, with many social media users expressing sympathy for the pet owners and calling for accountability from those responsible for the transport operation.
