China: The death toll from a bridge collapse in southwestern China’s Guangdong province has risen to 36, position press said Thursday ( May 2 ), as recovery work continued.
According to state media firm Xinhua, heavy rains on Wednesday caused a section of the road running from Meizhou area to Dabu state to cave in.
Vehicles veered into the almost 18-meter-long gash in the runway and slammed down the steep hill below.
Guangdong, a densely populated business powerhouse, has been hit by a series of tragedies attributed to extreme weather events in recent months.
This time of year, the winds were significantly heavier than expected, and they are related to climate change.
The bridge collapse trapped over 20 vehicles and included 54 persons, according to Xinhua.
” As of 5.30am on Thursday… 36 people have died, and 30 people have been injured”, Xinhua said, adding that the injuries were no existence- intimidating.
The death toll was away from 24 persons on Wednesday evening.
Tractors were seen digging through the wet hillside below the fell road in footage released by the state broadcaster Video on Wednesday.
Outside, a crane lifted charred, wrecked cars onto a fleet as people watched from behind a ring.
The “impact of frequent heavy rain” caused the road collapse, according to state media, as a “natural geographical catastrophe.”
Around 500 individuals have been dispatched to help with the recovery operation, CCTV said Wednesday.
According to Xinhua, the municipal authorities has “mobilized wealthy specialized forces and gone all out to have out… search and rescue.”
An official recognize on Wednesday advised that part of the S12 highway was closed in both directions, requiring excursions.