GUANGDONG - The death toll from a highway collapse in China's Guangdong province has increased to 48, state media reported on Thursday, as millions in the country travel for the May Day holiday break.
A previous report on Thursday morning said 36 people had died and 30 others injured.
The collapse, triggered by heavy rain, occurred at around 2.10am on Wednesday on the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway, Xinhua news agency reported, adding that the collapsed section was 17.9 metres 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.