Tragic China's Guangdong Highway Collapse, Leaves At Least 19 Dead

At least 19 died after a highway section collapsed in Guangdong, China, trapping 18 vehicles. Rescue efforts are ongoing amid extreme weather incidents.

At least 19 people were killed and dozens of others injured after a section of highway collapsed around 00:00 on Wednesday morning in Guangdong province, southern China. The deadly incident occurred around 2. At about 10 in the morning local time, part of the S12 highway between the cities of Meizhou and Dabu sunk in.

CCTV reported, as the broadcaster of the state, that 18 vehicles were involved in the collapse, involving a total of 49 people. The rescue teams quickly responded to the scene and about 500 people were sent by departments dealing with public safety, emergency response, firefighting, and mining rescue.

This footage posted on social media showed a deep hole filled with flames and smoke where the road had collapsed. Several cars seemed to have fallen to the depths of the dark gorge.

After a long-lasting rescue mission, authorities announced that 19 people had lost their lives. Apart from these, 30 others were hospitalized, but their conditions were not said to be critical.

The cause of the disastrous highway crash is still under investigation. Nevertheless, it happened during the tornado and the fatal floods which have been successively affecting Guangdong province in recent weeks.

The relevant authorities have closed the concerned section of the S12 highway in both directions as rescue work is underway. Drivers have been suggested to take alternate routes.

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The devastating event has no doubt brought the local community to its knees. While investigators are trying to determine the cause of this infrastructure failure, the region has been shrouded by the tragic loss of lives for a period when natural disasters have been rampant in the country.