This photo taken on 1 May 2024 shows an aerial view of a collapsed section of a highway near Meizhou in southern China’s Guangdong province. At least 36 people died after part of a highway collapsed due to heavy rain on 1 May, state media said. (CNS/AFP)
- The death toll
from a highway collapse in Guangdong, China, has risen to 36. - Over 20 vehicles
were trapped by the collapse, which was triggered by heavy rain. - The collapse is
part of a series of recent disasters in Guangdong linked to extreme weather,
with the government warning of more potential disasters due to anticipated
heavy rainfall in May.
The death
toll from a highway collapse in southern China’s Guangdong province has risen
to 36, state media said Thursday, as rescue work continued.
Heavy rains
caused a stretch of road running from Meizhou city towards Dabu county to cave
in at around 02:10 on Wednesday (1810 GMT Tuesday), according to state news
agency Xinhua.
Vehicles
careened into the nearly 18-metre-long gash in the tarmac and
plummeted down the steep slope below.
Guangdong,
a densely populated industrial powerhouse, has been hit by a string of
disasters attributed to extreme weather events in recent weeks.
The storms
have been much heavier than expected this time of year and have been linked to
climate change.
The highway
collapse trapped over 20 vehicles and involved 54 people, according to Xinhua.
“As of
5:30 am on (Thursday)… 36 people have died, and 30 people have been
injured,” Xinhua said, adding that the injuries were not life-threatening.
The death
toll was up from 24 people on Wednesday afternoon.
Footage by
state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday showed excavators digging through the muddy
hillside below the collapsed road.
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Nearby, a
crane lifted charred, wrecked vehicles onto a lorry as people watched from
behind a cordon.
State media
called the road collapse a “natural geological disaster” caused by
the “impact of persistent heavy rain”.
Around 500
people have been dispatched to help with the rescue operation, CCTV said
Wednesday.
The
provincial government has “mobilised elite specialised forces and gone all
out to carry out… search and rescue”, according to Xinhua.
An official
notice on Wednesday advised that part of the S12 highway was closed in both
directions, requiring detours.
More disasters
likely
Last month,
massive downpours in a different part of the province sparked floods that
claimed four lives and forced the evacuation of over 100 000 people.
And a
tornado killed five people when it ripped through the megacity of Guangzhou
last week.
With
rainfall expected to intensify throughout May, the government has warned of
possible further disasters.
“Multiparty
discussions and evaluations indicate that strong convection and heavy
precipitation may increase in China in May,” Xinhua cited the emergency
management ministry as saying.
The
country’s lush southern and southeastern provinces – including Guangdong – are
likely to be among the worst hit, leading to “a higher risk of geological
disasters”, the ministry was quoted as saying.
China is
the biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change
but has pledged to reduce emissions to net zero by 2060.