Xi calls for all-out rescue efforts after Guangdong road collapse
Print Edition
President Xi Jinping has urged all-out efforts to rescue and treat those injured in a deadly road collapse in south China’s Guangdong Province, which has left dozens dead.
Xi instructed that every effort be carried out for on-site rescue, treatment of the injured, and proper handling of the aftermath.
Efforts should be made to repair the damaged roads and restore traffic order as soon as possible, he said, adding that all regions and relevant departments must adhere to bottom-line thinking, consolidate work responsibilities, strengthen monitoring and early warning, improve emergency plans, promptly investigate and deal with potential risks in key areas and key sectors, and ensure the safety of people’s lives and property and the overall social stability.
Premier Li Qiang has given instructions to spare no effort in rescuing the injured, carry out follow-up work, do everything possible to search and rescue trapped persons, and strictly guard against secondary risks.
Li emphasized that the ongoing May Day holiday is a tourism peak time, accompanied by widespread rainfall in some areas, necessitating all-out efforts to prevent accidents and disasters.
Following Xi’s instructions and Li’s pleas, Zhang Guoqing, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier of the State Council, led officials in charge of relevant departments to the scene to guide the rescue and disaster relief work.
As of 2pm yesterday, the death toll had risen to 48 after part of an expressway collapsed in Guangdong Province early yesterday morning, according to a press conference held in Meizhou City.
Thirty injured people are in hospital, though none are in life-threatening condition, according to Meizhou authorities.
The collapse happened around 2:10am on the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway in Meizhou. The collapsed section measures 17.9 meters in length and covers an area of 184.3 square meters, officials said.
Aerial photos show one side of the expressway caved in, causing 23 vehicles to roll down a slope.
The Ministry of Emergency Management has dispatched a team to the scene to guide rescue work.
More than 500 personnel from local emergency response teams, mine rescue teams and the fire brigade have also joined on-site rescue work.
The ministry has said that safety risks are relatively high on transportation, at tourist attractions and in densely populated areas during the May Day holiday.
Meizhou has arranged special personnel to provide comfort and tend to the families of the victims and those who remain missing. Following an investigation, it was determined that no foreigners were among the casualties, according to the press conference.
To ensure strict prevention of secondary disasters, national and provincial geological experts have been sent to the scene to carry out an on-site investigation.
Seven observation points have been established to monitor the disaster area and its surrounding slopes round the clock.
Data released at the press conference shows that since the beginning of April, Meizhou has experienced multiple rounds of heavy rainfall. The average cumulative rainfall in the city was 621.7 millimeters last month, which was roughly 2.49 times more than the same period in normal years. It saw its highest level of precipitation during the month since meteorological records began, breaking the previous record of 437.3mm set in 1980.
Rainfall in Meizhou’s Dabu County came in at 628.2mm in April — 2.75 times more than its annual average of 228.4mm and its highest precipitation on record for the month of April, surpassing the previous record of 419.5mm set in 1980.
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