China Highway Collapses, Killing Dozens

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

BEIJING (Worthy News) – A section of a highway collapsed Wednesday in southern China’s Guangdong province, sending cars tumbling and leaving at least 24 people dead, authorities say.

The cause of Wednesday’s collapse was not specified.

Eighteen cars fell down a slope after a 17.9-meter (58.7-foot) stretch of the S12 highway between Meizhou city and Dabu county caved in at about 2:10 am local time on Wednesday, trapping dozens of people in their vehicles, according to Chinese authorities.

China’s state-run CCTV broadcaster had earlier said that 19 people had been confirmed dead, adding that 30 persons were receiving “emergency care” in hospital.

The death toll had risen to 24 by Wednesday afternoon, according to China’s official Xinhua News agency.

Authorities have sent about 500 people to the site to help with the rescue operation, CCTV reported.

The cause of the collapse was not immediately announced.

However, Guangdong has been hit by extreme weather events in recent weeks, from heavy rain to flooding and a deadly tornado.

China has one of the highest road fatality rates in the world because many roads are still dangerous despite efforts to improve infrastructure in the world’s most populous nation of 1.4 billion.

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