Beijing, China:
The number of deaths from a highway collapse in southern China's Guangdong province has risen to 36, state media said on Thursday, as rescue efforts continued.
Heavy rain caused a stretch of road running from Meizhou city to Dabu province to collapse around 2:10 a.m. (1810 GMT Tuesday) on Wednesday, state news agency Xinhua said.
Vehicles drove into the nearly 60-foot gash in the asphalt and plunged into the steep slope below.
Guangdong, a densely populated industrial power, has been hit by a series of disasters in recent weeks blamed on extreme weather events.
The storms have been much more intense than expected this time of year and are linked to climate change.
According to Xinhua, the highway collapse trapped more than 20 vehicles and involved 54 people.
“As of 5:30 a.m. (Thursday)… 36 people have been killed and 30 people have been injured,” Xinhua said, adding that the injuries were not life-threatening.
The death toll rose from 24 people on Wednesday afternoon.
Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed excavators digging through the muddy hill beneath the collapsed road on Tuesday.
Nearby, a crane lifted charred, destroyed vehicles onto a truck as people watched from behind a cordon.
State media called the road collapse a “geological natural disaster” caused by the “impact of persistent heavy rains.”
About 500 people have been dispatched to assist in the rescue operation, CCTV said on Wednesday.
The provincial government has “mobilized specialized elite forces and made every effort to conduct search and rescue operations,” Xinhua said.
An official message on Wednesday stated that part of the S12 highway was closed in both directions, requiring detours.
More disasters likely
Last month, massive rainstorms in another part of the province led to flooding that claimed four lives and forced the evacuation of more than 100,000 people.
And a tornado killed five people last week when it ripped through the megacity of Guangzhou.
With rainfall expected to increase throughout May, the government has warned of the possibility of further disasters.
“Multi-party discussions and assessments indicate that strong convection and heavy precipitation may increase in May in China,” Xinhua said.
The country's lush southern and southeastern provinces – including Guangdong – are likely to be among the hardest hit, leading to “a higher risk of geological disasters”, the ministry said.
China is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, but has pledged to cut emissions to net zero by 2060.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Our staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)