At least 36 people were killed when a section of a highway collapsed and cars fell off a slope after heavy rains in southern China’s mountainous region, authorities said Thursday.
The Meizhou city government said 23 vehicles were found after a 58.7-foot stretch of the highway was closed around 2 a.m. Wednesday. Thirty other people were injured, but none of the injuries were life-threatening, the government said.
Fire officials told Chinese media that persistent rain and falling gravel and dirt at the site made search efforts difficult and posed some danger to workers.
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According to the report, rescue teams divided the area into 10 grids and used dogs and life detectors to search the area. Excavators and cranes were also brought in to assist.
The collapse left a barren scar on the steep slopes of the lush forest area. Witnesses told local media that after driving past the section just before the collapse, they heard a loud bang and saw a large hole open behind them.
Video and photos from local media showed smoke and fire at the scene, with a highway guardrail leaning into the flames. I saw a pile of black cars on the slope going down from the highway.
Rescue workers perform a rescue operation at the site of a collapsed section of the Meizhou-Dapu Expressway in Meizhou, southern China’s Guangdong Province, on May 1, 2024. A section of a highway collapsed in southern China early Wednesday morning, killing more than a dozen people. local officials said. (Xinhua News Agency, via AP)
Later photos showed a construction crane lowering the wrecked car onto the road, near three other vehicles that were also damaged. Everything seemed to be on fire.
The county where the road collapse occurred has received more than 22 inches of rain in the past four weeks. This is more than four times as much as last year. Some villages in Meizhou suffered flooding in early April, and the city has experienced heavy rain in recent days.
Parts of Guangdong province have experienced record rainfall, flooding and even hail over the past two weeks. Last weekend, a tornado struck Guangzhou, the provincial capital, killing five people.
Heavy rains and flooding pose special risks to mountain roads and highway bridges due to erosion, debris flows, and landslides. China has significantly expanded its infrastructure in recent years, adding more than 1 million highway bridges, the world’s largest high-speed rail network, and numerous new airports.
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In the rush to build, flaws in design and construction methods are frequently uncovered, and regular inspections and maintenance can be postponed. Dozens of people have died in tunnel collapses and floods in recent years, including 14 people who drowned on the subway in the central city of Zhenzhou during a major flood that killed about 300 people.
Later reports said officials failed to shut down services as per government instructions.
China’s overseas projects such as roads and dams under the Belt and Road Initiative have also been criticized for design problems and poor quality, posing potential challenges to China’s efforts to build influence in developing countries. there is a possibility.
