Baghdad-INA
At least 36 people were killed in southern China when part of a highway collapsed due to heavy rains that fell in Guangdong province, according to local media.
Heavy rains have fallen in recent weeks in the industrial area of Guangdong, leading to massive floods and landslides. Recent days have witnessed heavier rains than usual for this period of the year before the monsoon season.
On Thursday morning, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said that “36 people were killed and 30 people were injured” as a result of the disaster.
The road partially collapsed shortly after two o’clock in the morning on Wednesday (6:00 GMT Tuesday), and an aerial photo published by the government station CCTV showed damaged vehicles stuck in a deep, muddy trench.
According to CCTV, dozens of ambulances and cranes gathered along the highway, about 18 meters of which collapsed, between the city of Meizhu and Dabu County in the densely populated province.
Other footage that appeared to have been filmed before dawn showed flames emanating from the trench.
Agence France-Presse could not immediately verify these videos.
About 500 people were sent to the site to participate in the rescue efforts.
2024-05-02 13:42:18