In the past few hours, Chinese authorities have reported that the number of deaths in the aftermath of the collapse of a section of a highway in southern China’s Canton province has increased to 48, with 30 people injured. The incident happened at around 02:10 local time on Tuesday (18:10 GMT) and affected an area of approximately 184.3 square meters. A 17.9-meter-long stretch of the Meizhou-Dabu highway collapsed, trapping 24 vehicles. Fortunately, there were no reports of large vehicles or dangerous chemicals being involved in the accident, according to local officials.
Rescue efforts are currently underway and involve over 500 people working to free all trapped vehicles and retrieve the bodies of those who perished in the disaster. Out of the injured, 30 individuals have been transported to nearby hospitals and are reportedly out of danger. The causes behind the collapse are still being investigated by authorities, but it is suspected that heavy rainfall in the region may have contributed to it.
This event marks yet another infrastructure failure that has occurred in China recently due to safety concerns. In December last year, three people died and four others were injured when a section of a highway collapsed in Inner Mongolia province. Authorities are working diligently to ensure public safety and investigate what led to these accidents so that they can take steps to prevent them from happening again in the future.
