Xinhua News Agency/AP News
Aerial photos show rescue workers working at the scene of a collapsed section of the Meizhou-Dapu expressway in Meizhou, southern China’s Guangdong province, on Wednesday.
CNN
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A highway collapse in China’s Guangdong province on Wednesday killed 24 people, state media outlet Xinhua said.
A section of the highway connecting Meizhou and Taipu in Guangdong province collapsed around 2:10 a.m. Wednesday, trapping 18 cars, another state media outlet CCTV reported.
Officials told Xinhua News Agency that 184.3 square meters of the highway had collapsed.
A video shot in the dark that was widely shared on social media showed a fire raging beneath what would have been a road and emergency workers rushing to the scene.
Photos taken after dawn showed cars piled up at the bottom of the ravine.
Thirty people injured in the accident were receiving treatment at a hospital and were said to be in stable condition, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the Meizhou government.
According to state television, the Guangdong provincial government has dispatched about 500 rescuers.
Rescue operations are still underway, according to the latest information from the local police department.
Southern China has been experiencing heavy rain in recent weeks.
Widespread flooding has forced more than 110,000 people to relocate in Guangdong, an economic powerhouse with a population of 127 million people, state media reported, citing the local government.
Floods have killed at least four people in Guangdong province, including a rescue worker, state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday. At least 10 people are still missing.
CNN’s Nectar Gan in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
