An autonomous vehicle operated by Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxi service fell into a deep construction pit in southwestern China while carrying a passenger, local media reported on Friday, sparking renewed discussion about the safety of self-driving cars.
The incident occurred on Wednesday in Chongqing, according to reports from the Southern Metropolis Daily and Huashang Newspaper. A female passenger was uninjured and was rescued by nearby residents using a ladder.
Videos circulating on Chinese social media showed a white vehicle bearing the Baidu Apollo logo at the bottom of what appeared to be a construction trench. A local shop owner told Huashang Newspaper that the site had “barriers and warning signs,” though it remained unclear how the vehicle bypassed them.
Baidu operates one of China’s largest autonomous vehicle fleets and runs commercial robotaxi services in cities including Wuhan, Beijing, and Chongqing.
The company has also moved to expand internationally, signing partnerships with U.S. ride-hailing platforms Uber Technologies and Lyft.
The incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of the sector, following cases such as Chinese rival Pony.ai’s vehicle fire in Beijing in May and a 2023 San Francisco case where a crowd set fire to a Waymo robotaxi.