GUANGDONG: At least 24 people were killed on Wednesday when a section of highway collapsed due to heavy rain in south China’s Guangdong province.
Guangdong, the most populous industrial powerhouse, has been battered by rainstorms in recent weeks, causing severe flooding and landslides in some areas.
The monsoon was heavier than expected for the year and has been linked to accelerated climate change.
A stretch between Meizhou and Dabu County in Guangdong Province caved in on Wednesday (6:10 pm GMT Tuesday), Xinhua news agency reported. people, according to Xinhua.
As of 3:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. GMT), 24 people have been confirmed dead, while 30 are receiving emergency treatment at the hospital, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Recovery efforts are still underway and the lives of those hospitalized “are in danger now,” he said.
Aerial footage released by state broadcaster CCTV shows a wrecked vehicle in a deep mud pit where the motorway once ran.
Dozens of emergency vehicles and cranes gathered at the cut-off, which divides the steep slope and forest.
A video circulating on social media, taken before dawn, showed flames and smoke billowing from the crater.
“You can’t go now,” a man said in one video as parts of the road gave way. AFP could not immediately verify the video.
CCTV said the landslide was a “natural geological disaster under the influence of continuous heavy rain”. He reported that a road about 18 meters long had been blown away.
Authorities have sent around 500 people to help rescue efforts, according to CCTV.
According to the broadcaster, they were drawn from the public safety, emergency, fire and mine rescue departments.
Local authorities said in a statement that part of the S12 motorway was closed in both directions and that drivers were advised to detour.
