Death toll in southern China highway collapse rises to 36

Al Jazeera:

The death toll in a highway collapse in southern China has risen to 36, as emergency teams continue efforts to recover cars from the scene.

“As of 5:30am on May 2 … 36 people have died, and 30 people have been injured,” state news agency Xinhua reported, adding that the injured were not in life-threatening condition.

The road collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday morning as China began its major May holidays, traditionally one of the busiest times of the year on the roads.

Aerial photographs showed one side of the S12 highway between Meizhou city and Dabu county had fallen away as the earth beneath it collapsed, sending mud cascading down the steep and forested hillside.

State broadcaster CCTV said the incident was a “natural geological disaster … [that occurred] under the impact of persistent heavy rain”.

A 17.9-metre (58.7-foot) stretch of the road collapsed, it said, with 23 vehicles so far found in the muddy pit.