Water is one of nature’s most formidable forces, with overflowing rivers, lakes, and relentless rains capable of wreaking immense havoc. In China, after more than a month of heavy rainfall, a portion of a highway collapsed, sending vehicles plummeting into a pit below and resulting in a tragic loss of life. The death toll continues to rise, with at least 48 fatalities now reported.
The Guangdong province has been under Mother Nature’s relentless assault over the past month, culminating on Tuesday, April 30, with the collapse of one side of a four-lane highway. At least 23 vehicles tumbled down a slope, some catching fire while others were buried under heavy soil, further complicating the rescue operations. Ongoing rainfall continues to threaten the region with “secondary disasters,” according to Wen Yongdeng, the Communist Party secretary for the Meizhou Emergency Management Bureau.
As of now, 48 deaths have been confirmed and many more have been injured. Search efforts are still underway, Meizhou Mayor Wong Hui stated at a news conference. Authorities are employing a combination of rescue dogs and life-detecting devices to find survivors in the area, which has been divided into 10 grids to organize the rescue mission.
While the exact cause of the collapse remains uncertain, one engineer speculates that poor drainage, exacerbated by weeks of heavy rainfall, is likely to blame. The region has experienced over 22 inches of rain, four times the amount of 2023, within the past several weeks. This tragic event is now recognized as the deadliest road incident in more than a decade. Additionally, villages in Meizhou have experienced flooding, and a recent tornado in Guangzhou claimed five lives the previous weekend.
This is not the first time that weather has impacted this particular highway, which opened in 2014 but was plagued by landslides and water-related issues in 2015.
