The collapse this Wednesday of a section of a highway in the southern Chinese province of Canton left at least 19 people dead and 30 injured, local authorities reported. The incident occurred at 02:10 local time (18:10 GMT Tuesday), affecting an area of approximately 184.3 square meters of the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway and trapping 18 vehicles.
The rescue efforts, which involved the participation of more than 500 people, lasted for several hours until all the vehicles were freed and the bodies of the fatal victims were recovered. The 30 injured were taken to nearby hospitals, where they are out of danger.
The causes of the collapse are still being investigated by authorities, although it is suspected that it could have been due to heavy rains that hit the region in recent days.
In recent months, several accidents have occurred in the Asian giant due to the collapse of infrastructure, such as last December, when three people died and four others were injured in the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia (north) when a section of a road collapsed. highway.
