The Chinese authorities increased in the last hours to at least 48 people died and 30 injuries the number of victims after the collapse this Wednesday of a section of a highway in the southern Chinese province of Canton.
The accident occurred at 02:10 local time (18:10 GMT on Tuesday), affecting an area of approximately 184.3 square meters for a 17.9-meter-long section of the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway, where 24 vehicles trapped.
The rescue efforts, which involved the participation of more than 500 people, continue given the dimensions of the collapse, and seek to free all the vehicles and recover the bodies of the fatal victims.
Rescuers work at the site of a Meizhou-Dabu expressway collapse accident in Meizhou,
Photo:EFE
The causes of the collapse are still being investigated by authorities, although it is suspected that it could have been due to heavy rains that hit the region in recent days.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a “total” effort in the search and rescue efforts for the trapped people, the official Xinhua news agency noted.
“Efforts should be made to repair damaged roads and restore traffic order as soon as possible,” Xi said.
In recent months, several accidents have occurred in the Asian giant due to the collapse of infrastructurelike last December, when three people died and four others were injured in the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia (north) when a section of a highway collapsed.
EFE
