Highway collapse in southern China kills at least 36 people
BEIJING - A section of a highway collapsed after heavy rains in southern China, sending cars tumbling down a slope and leaving at least 36 people dead, authorities said Thursday. The Meizhou city government said that 23 vehicles have been found in a pit after a 17.9-metre (58.7-foot) long section of the highway gave way about 2 a.m. on Wednesday. Thirty other people had injuries, none of them life-threatening, a government statement said. Parts of Guangdong province have seen record rains and flooding in the past two weeks, as well as hail. A tornado killed five people in Guangzhou, the provincial capital, last weekend. Some villages in Meizhou flooded in early April, and the city had seen heavy rain in recent days. The ground beneath the highway appeared to have caved in, along with the
US ‘expects accountability’ from India, says State Dept
WASHINGTON: The US State Department stated on Tuesday that it expects India to address the alleged involvement of senior Indian officials in assassination attempts within the United States. “We continue to expect accountability from the government of India based on the results of the Indian inquiry committee’s work, and we are regu- larly working with them and inquiring for additional updates,” said the department’s principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel section of the road above it. Witnesses told local media they heard a loud noise and saw a wide hole open up behind them after driving past the section just before it collapsed. Video and photos in local media showed smoke and fire at the scene, with highway guardrails slanting down into the flames. A pile of blackened cars could be seen on the slope leading down from the highway. during a news briefing in Washington. Patel also emphasised that the United States continues to “raise our concerns directly with the Indian government at senior levels”. However, he declined to “parse into this further” from a public podium and deferred further inquiries to the Department of Justice. A Washington Post report on Monday presented the clearest link yet between India’s government and a thwarted assassination attempt targeting a Sikh activist in the US last year. The report also outlined the involvement of Indian intelligence officials in other assassinations in Canada and Pakistan. Responding to another question about defence cooperation between the United States and Pakistan, Patel stated that the two allies shared a common interest in addressing threats to regional security. ...Source:dawn.com