Authorities in Meizhou city, southern China, reported a tragic incident where a section of a highway collapsed following heavy rains, resulting in the deaths of at least 36 individuals. The collapse occurred in a mountainous area, with 23 vehicles found after a 58.7-foot section of the highway gave way in the early hours of Wednesday.
Fortunately, 30 individuals sustained injuries, none of which were life-threatening. The search and rescue operation faced challenges due to ongoing rain, as well as gravel and soil movements at the site, posing risks to the workers involved.
Rescue teams utilized dogs, life-detecting devices, excavators, and cranes to search the area effectively. Witnesses described hearing a loud noise and witnessing a wide hole opening up behind them after passing the section just before its collapse.
Images and videos from the scene depicted smoke and fire, with a highway guardrail leaning into the flames and a pile of burnt cars on the slope below the highway. A construction crane was later seen lowering a mangled car to the road surface, alongside three other similarly wrecked vehicles.
The county where the collapse occurred experienced over 56 centimeters of rainfall, significantly higher than the previous year. Meizhou had already faced flooding in early April, with heavy rains persisting in recent days.
Guangdong province, where the incident took place, has witnessed record rainfall and flooding in the past weeks, along with hailstorms. Tragically, a tornado in Guangzhou, the provincial capital, claimed the lives of five individuals over the past weekend.