The collapse of a highway in southern China killed 36 people, according to a new report released by state media on Thursday.
At 5:30 a.m. local Thursday (Tuesday evening in Quebec), “36 people died and 30 people were injured,” reported the New China news agency, specifying that the lives of the injured people were not in danger.
Twenty vehicles were “trapped” by the collapse of a section of road between the city of Meizhou and Dabu county, in Guangdong province, which occurred around 2:10 a.m. on Wednesday, involving 54 people in total, China said New.
Public broadcaster CCTV said the collapse was a “natural geological disaster” that occurred “under the impact of persistent heavy rain”.
Heavy rains have hit the industrial province of Guangdong, which has Guangzhou as its capital, in recent weeks, causing severe flooding and landslides. In recent days, the torrential rains have been much heavier than normal for this time of year just before the monsoon season.
“Intensifying climate change “increases the likelihood of heavy rains that typically only appear during the summer months,” Yin Zhijie, head of hydrological forecasting at China’s Ministry of Water Resources, said last month. on Chinese national radio. »
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