A devastating highway collapse in Guangdong province, southern China, has left 36 people dead, according to state media reports. Rescue efforts are ongoing, but hopes of finding survivors are dwindling.
A deluge of heavy rains struck in the dead of night, causing a devastating road collapse on the critical Meizhou-Dabu county highway at 2:10 am on Wednesday. The disaster, reported by Xinhua, has severed a vital transportation artery.
A stretch of highway turned into a scene of terror as vehicles plunged into a massive 59-foot-long gash in the road, hurtling down a steep slope with devastating consequences.
Guangdong, a densely populated industrial powerhouse, has been ravaged by a relentless barrage of extreme weather events in recent weeks, leaving a trail of destruction and devastation in its wake.
The storms’ unrelenting intensity has shattered forecasts, underscoring the ominous role of climate change in amplifying extreme weather events.
China, the world’s largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, has made a groundbreaking commitment to slash its carbon footprint to net zero by 2060, paving the way for a sustainable future.
“As of 5:30 am on (Thursday)… 36 people have died, and 30 people have been injured,” Xinhua said, adding that the injuries were not life-threatening.
The already-tragic situation took a turn for the worse, with the death toll escalating beyond 24, leaving families and loved ones reeling from the sudden and devastating loss.
State broadcaster CCTV broadcast heart-stopping footage of excavators battling to dig through the precarious, mud-soaked hillside under the ruined road, as the search for survivors hung in the balance.
Just yards away, a crane hoisted the twisted, burned-out husks of vehicles onto a waiting truck, a grim spectacle that drew a crowd of onlookers, their faces etched with shock and sorrow, behind a police cordon.
State media called the road collapse a “natural geological disaster” caused by the “impact of persistent heavy rain”.
Read also: Elon Musk Holds Meeting With China’s No 2 Official In Beijing
President Xi Jinping ordered officials to “go all-out in on-site rescue work and treatment of the injured, and arrange for the management of risks and hidden dangers in a timely manner”, CCTV said on Thursday.
Around 500 people have been dispatched to help with the rescue operation, it added.
The provincial government has “mobilised elite specialised forces and gone all out to carry out… search and rescue”, according to Xinhua.
An official notice on Wednesday advised that part of the S12 highway was closed in both directions, requiring detours.
Guangdong is reeling from an unprecedented rainstorm, with parts of the region receiving a whopping 600mm of rain in just 10 days – a staggering three times the norm for this time of year, the National Weather Office reports.
A powerful rain system is set to unleash another round of heavy downpours across southern China, with up to 120mm expected in the southwest on Thursday, and a wet spell forecast to last until Sunday.
A combination of factors has created a high-risk environment, according to the weather office, which is sounding the alarm about potential geological disasters that can cause widespread destruction.
The emergency management ministry cautions that the prolonged downpour will heighten the risk of disasters, making it essential to take proactive measures to mitigate the impact.