At least 19 people died in southern China’s Guangdong province when a highway collapsed on May 1st, trapping 18 vehicles and 49 people. State broadcaster CCTV reported that as of 11.45am, 19 people had been confirmed dead and 30 were receiving emergency care in hospitals, with their lives not currently at risk. Social media footage showed wrecked vehicles at the bottom of a muddy pit, with flames seen emanating from the pit before dawn.
Around 500 people have been dispatched to the site to assist with the rescue operation, drawn from various departments handling public security, emergency response, firefighting, and mining rescue. Part of the S12 highway has been closed in both directions, with drivers advised to take detours. The cause of the collapse has not been specified yet, but it is the latest in a series of disasters to hit Guangdong in recent weeks, including deadly floods caused by heavy rains and a tornado that killed five people in Guangzhou.
China’s extensive highway network covers rough terrain and extreme climates, leading to frequent road accidents due to a lack of strict safety controls. In March, 14 people were killed and 37 injured when a bus crashed inside an expressway tunnel in Shanxi province. In February of last year, 16 people died in a vehicle pile-up in Hunan province, followed by 19 deaths in an accident in Jiangxi province the following month. The incident in Guangdong province is part of a troubling trend of disasters on China’s roads.
Authorities have erected a cordon around the collapsed section of the highway, with red fire engines and emergency personnel on the scene. While the lives of those hospitalised are not currently at risk, the injuries sustained have not been specified. Rescuers are working to extract trapped individuals and clear the wreckage from the scene. The road collapse has drawn attention to the need for improved safety measures on China’s highways in order to prevent similar incidents in the future.
