Road collapse leaves dozens dead in southern China | World and Science

The number of deaths in the collapse of a section of a highway in southern China rose to 36, the Chinese state press reported this Thursday (Wednesday night, 1st, in Brazil), updating the balance of the incident caused by heavy rains of the last few days in the province of Canton (south).

“At 5:30 am on May 2 (7:30 pm on the 1st in Brasília), 36 people had died and 30 were injured,” reported the state agency Xinhua, adding that the injured were not in critical condition.

The affected region, densely populated and a symbol of the country’s industrial power, was devastated by strong storms that caused deadly floods and landslides.

The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, was caused by “a natural geological disaster (…) under the impact of persistent and intense rain”, state television channel CCTV reported.

According to the broadcaster, an 18-meter section of the highway between Meizhou city and Dabu county sank at 2:10 am local time.

State news agency Xinhua reported that around twenty vehicles were stuck in the ditch, with a total of 54 people affected.

An aerial photograph published by CCTV showed wrecked vehicles at the bottom of a deep hole where the road once ran. In the image, dozens of emergency vehicles and tow trucks appeared gathered on the still intact stretch of highway, which passes through a steep, wooded hillside.

In other videos apparently filmed before dawn, there were flames and smoke. “Can’t get any closer,” said a man in one of these recordings. AFP was unable to immediately verify the veracity of these videos.

Authorities sent around 500 people to the site for the rescue operation, consisting of firefighters and security and emergency teams, CCTV reported. Part of the S12 highway was closed in both directions.

Disasters in Guangzhou

The province of Guangzhou has been affected in recent weeks by several disasters attributed to extreme weather events.

Unusually heavy rains for this time of year caused deadly floods that, in some areas, were the worst since records began in 1954.

China’s Ministry of Water Resources official Yin Zhijie told state radio last week that “intensifying climate change” makes such rains more likely.

In addition to the torrential rains, a tornado killed five people last week in the provincial capital, also called Guangzhou.

Much of China’s massive road network traverses rugged terrain and extreme climates. Furthermore, traffic accidents are common due to the lack of strict safety controls.

In March, 14 people died and 37 were injured when a bus fell into a tunnel in northern Shanxi. In February, a crash killed 16 people in the central province of Hunan, and another killed 19 people in eastern Jiangxi.