Death toll from south China road collapse rises to 36

The death toll from a highway collapse in southern China has risen to 36, state media have said.

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

State news agency Xinhua said that a stretch of road between Meizhou city and Dabu County in Guangdong province caved in at around 2:10am on Wednesday (7:30pm Irish Time Tuesday).

The incident caused over 20 vehicles to become trapped and involved a total of 54 people, according to Xinhua.

State media has said the collapse was a “natural geological disaster” caused by the “impact of persistent heavy rain”.

Guangdong, a densely populated industrial powerhouse, has been lashed by rainstorms in recent weeks, causing severe flooding and landslides in some areas.

The downpours have been much heavier than would normally be expected this time of year and have been linked to accelerating climate change.