New Delhi: At least 24 people lost their lives in a highway mishap in China on Wednesday.
Heavy rains resulted in a part of a highway collapsing in Guangdong province. Twenty vehicles, and a total of 54 people, got trapped as the highway subsided, state news agency Xinhua reported.
A stretch of road between Meizhou city and Dabu county in southern China caved in in the early hours of Wednesday.
“24 people have been confirmed dead, and 30 are receiving all-out emergency care in hospital,” an official was quoted as saying.
Rainstorms have recently lashed Guangdong, a densely populated industrial province, causing severe flooding and landslides in several areas.
The rainfall and storms have been far above normal, and like weather conditions in various parts of the globe, it’s been linked to accelerating climate change.
A photograph published by state broadcaster CCTV showed wrecked vehicles lying in a deep muddy pit which formed the highway.
Videos were shared on X showing smoke emanating from the affected site:
⚫️ Highway collapses in southern China, at least 19 killed
Eighteen cars fell down a slope after a 17.9-meter-long section of the highway collapsed Wednesday, according to authorities in Guangdong province.
Witnesses told local media they heard a loud noise and saw a hole open… pic.twitter.com/kIrEsDVEXg
— MonitorX (@MonitorX99800) May 1, 2024
Dozens of emergency vehicles and cranes were called on for rescue and rehabilitation process.
According to CCTV, the highway collapse was a “natural geological disaster… under the impact of persistent heavy rain.”
An 18-metre (59 feet) stretch of road subsided.
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