China road collapse update: death toll rises to 36

MEIZHOU: The collapse of a section of an expressway in China’s Guangdong province on Wednesday (May 1) caused vehicles to plunge and killed 36 people, state media reported on Thursday (May 2). Around 30 people were also injured, as millions in the country travelled for the May Day holiday break.

Death toll rises to 24 in China road collapse

Video from state media showed that a task force was deployed to retrieve vehicles and help with rescue efforts.

The collapse, triggered by heavy rain, occurred at around 2:10 a.m. on Wednesday on the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway, Xinhua news agency reported. The collapsed section was 17.9 metres in length and caused 23 vehicles to plunge, it added.

Nineteen dead after highway collapses in southern China

Meizhou is one of the areas in Guangdong that has been badly hit by heavy rain and hail since late April which set off dangerous mudslides, inundated homes and destroyed bridges.