Highway collapse in China kills at least 48 people
Rescuers work to clear a flooded tunnel after 14 construction workers were trapped in an underground section of a new highway construction site after it collapsed in Zhuhai in China’s southern Guangdong province on July 16, 2021. / AFP / STR / CHINA OUT
ALBAWABA – As bad weather conditions continue to hamper rescue efforts, the death toll from a highway collapse in southern China’s Guangdong province has grown to 48 and is expected to rise in the upcoming hours.
According to state news agency Xinhua, heavy rains caused a stretch of road connecting Meizhou City and Dabu County to collapse at roughly 2:10 a.m. on Wednesday. Over 20 cars smashed into the almost 18-metre-long tarmac slash and plunged down the steep hill below.
As of later in the afternoon on Thursday, 48 people had lost their lives as a result of the highway collapse, according to Ma Zhengyong, the secretary of Meizhou’s Communist Party committee, who spoke to the press.
“In addition, there are three people whose DNA is undergoing further comparison and confirmation,” Ma said. It was unclear whether the three victims were among the 48 reported.
According to Liu Lebin, deputy party secretary of Meizhou’s health bureau, an additional 30 persons were injured, with one in “severe” condition and the rest stable.
CCTV footage shows excavators excavating through the muddy hillside below the fallen road. A crane nearby lifted charred, mangled vehicles onto a lorry, while spectators watched from behind a barricade.
President Xi Jinping ordered officials to “go all-out in on-site rescue work and treatment of the injured, and arrange for the management of risks and hidden dangers in a timely manner”, CCTV said on Thursday.
A city official stated that poor weather, the possibility of subsequent disasters, and the enormous number of stranded, burned, and buried automobiles were hindering rescue and recovery efforts.
The official stated that more than 570 individuals have been despatched to assist with the rescue operation. According to Xinhua, the provincial government has “mobilized elite specialized forces and gone all out to carry out… search and rescue”.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).