The death toll from a mountainside highway collapse in southern China’s Guangdong province rose to 48 as of Thursday, news agencies announced. report on Chinese state media.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, May 1, when an approximately 59-foot-long section of the highway collapsed, sending vehicles tumbling down a slope.
Chinese state news agency Xinhua report The Ministry of Emergency Management on Thursday dispatched a team to lead the ongoing rescue operations and urge local authorities to accelerate search and rescue operations, treat the injured, minimize casualties and determine the cause of the incident. It was announced that the initiative would be promoted.
witness reportedly As he drove past the section just before the collapse, he heard a loud bang and saw a large hole behind him.
“We stopped the car and tried to check, but we didn’t know the road was caved in,” an eyewitness said in China’s Guizhou province.
Other footage showed smoke and fire at the accident scene, part of a highway guardrail leaning into the flames and a blackened pile of vehicles on the slope leading down from the highway.
Chinese authorities have not officially stated the cause of the collapse at the time of writing, but South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. Wednesday According to a statement issued by a geotechnical engineer to local media, the accident may have been caused by: intense The amount of rainfall the state has experienced in recent weeks.
“Due to recent heavy rains in the area, the soil on the surface was washed away and entered the cracks, creating water pressure and pushing the ground downwards,” an engineer named Chen told Jiemeian News. “Poor drainage caused by prolonged rainfall may have been the trigger, causing the crack-prone areas to continue to deform and expand, ultimately leading to the collapse.”
The engineer also reportedly said that proper monitoring and warning systems were “not in place”, adding that such landslides can usually be detected and prevented at an early stage.
Chinese authorities are reportedly conducting DNA tests on three unidentified people, and the death toll could rise to 51. According to information provided by Meizhou authorities, about 30 people suffered non-life-threatening injuries. city.
Aerial drone photo taken on May 2, 2024 shows the site of a collapsed highway on the Meizhou-Dapu Expressway in Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, southern China. The death toll after the road collapse has risen to 48 at the time of writing. https://t.co/Fsa1XWv2Hr pic.twitter.com/JyBtMFWit1
— China.org.cn (@chinaorgcn) May 2, 2024
In late April, a severe rainstorm occurred in southern China, causing died,on the other hand, tornado Five more people were reportedly killed, dozens more injured and more than 140 buildings damaged in the disaster that hit the southern city of Guangzhou.
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
