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In China, at least 24 people tragically lost their lives on Wednesday when a highway collapsed due to heavy rainfall. According to the official Xinhua News agency, eighteen cars fell from a slope after a 17.9-meter section of the highway in Guangdong province was damaged. The incident, which occurred around 2 am, also left 30 people injured. Fortunately, the injured individuals are currently receiving emergency care at a hospital, and their lives are not considered to be at immediate risk. Authorities have deployed about 500 officials to the site to provide assistance.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud noise and seeing a large hole open up behind them after driving past the section of the road that collapsed. Images and videos from the scene showed smoke and flames, with highway rails slanting downward into the fire. Charred cars could be seen on the slope leading down from the highway.
Heavy rains have been affecting the southern region for weeks, leading to the relocation of around 110,000 residents due to damage to local infrastructure from floods and landslides. In Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, officials announced last week that the city experienced its highest monthly rainfall since records began in 1959, with a cumulative rainfall of 60.9 cm in April.
When the rain briefly stopped last Wednesday, residents rushed to save their homes and belongings from floodwaters. Footage showed people wading through knee-deep water, salvaging items from their damaged properties.
Buses and helicopters were used to evacuate all residents of the Jiangwan township in the Shaoguan region to safety as a new round of floods approached.
"I have never seen such heavy rain in my life, nor have people older than me," said Jiang, a 72-year-old resident, according to state-run China Daily.
The heavy rainfall downed power lines, disrupted mobile telephone networks, and triggered dangerous mudslides, flooded homes, and destroyed bridges. Such extreme flooding is rare for Guangdong in April. A senior official attributed it to the worsening climate crisis, which leads to increased rainfall as warmer climates hold more moisture.
Asia was identified as the world's most disaster-prone region last year, experiencing numerous floods, storms, and other climate-related disasters, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
In 2023, Asia reported 79 disasters related to hydro-meteorological events, with over 80 per cent consisting of floods and storms that claimed more than 2,000 lives, according to a report published last week by the WMO.
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