13 missing after south China railway construction site collapse

BEIJING, Dec 5, 2024 (AFP) – Thirteen people are missing after a cave-in at a construction site for a major railway in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, local authorities said Thursday.

The ground under a section of the Shenzhen-Jiangmen railway site “suddenly collapsed” around 11 pm (1500 GMT) Wednesday, according to a statement from the Bao’an District emergency management bureau. A search for the missing was ongoing Thursday morning, and the cause of the collapse was being investigated, officials said.

Authorities have evacuated nearby residents, the emergency management bureau said. Major expressways near the site were closed Thursday morning for the rescue effort, according to city officials. Construction began in 2022 on the railway section connecting Shenzhen to Jiangmen in south China’s Guangdong province.

Industrial accidents are fairly common in China due to vagues regulation and lax safety standards. A mining accident in southwestern Sichuan province claimed eight lives in August. A gas explosion in northern China’s Hebei province killed seven people and injured dozens in March. And in the eastern city of Nanjing, 15 people died in a residential building fire in February.