Highway collapse kills 19 in southern China

At least 19 people died on the night of Tuesday April 30 to Wednesday May 1 in the collapse of a highway in China, in the province of Guangdong (south), state media announced. Eighteen vehicles were “trapped” due to this collapse, public broadcaster CCTV said, declaring that the incident “involved 49 people, 19 of whom were confirmed dead”. The vital prognosis of those hospitalized is not compromised.

Images posted on social media and reported in local media showed smoke and flames rising from a deep ditch where the cars plunged. The authorities announced the sending of nearly 500 people to help with relief efforts, according to state media. The reason for the collapse has not yet been mentioned.

Guangdong province has recently been hit by a series of violent weather events in recent weeks, ranging from deadly floods to a destructive tornado. At the end of April, bad weather left at least four dead and led to tens of thousands of evacuations. More than 100,000 people from Guangdong had to be relocated, according to the official Xinhua news agency.