At least 36 people were killed and another 30 injured after a section of an expressway in China's Guangdong province collapsed, state media reported on Thursday.
The collapse, triggered by heavy rain, occurred at around 2:10 am on Wednesday on the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway, Xinhua news agency reported, adding that the collapsed section was 17.9 meters in length and caused 23 vehicles to plunge.
Meizhou is one of the areas in southern China's Guangdong that has been badly hit by heavy rain and hail since late April which set off dangerous mudslides, inundated homes and destroyed bridges.
President Xi Jinping called for the utmost efforts to save lives and eliminate dangers as the rainy weather continued in the region, according to a Xinhua report.
Task forces from the central and local governments have been dispatched for the rescue work, the report added.
Trump touts $5,000 payout if Republicans win as Vance waits in wings
Search expands after Philippine ferry fire kills five and leaves dozens missing
Trump says Iran war to end after US midterm elections
At least 20 killed in cargo vessel fire at China shipyard, state media reports
US military says it struck vessel in Caribbean, killing 3
At least 14 killed in explosion at weapons depot in Syria
US hits five Iranian oil tankers after attack on Navy ships
UK gives air traffic provider a week to probe outage that halted flights
