Death toll from China’s Guangdong highway collapse rises to 48 as President Xi Jinping orders maximum push to save lives

They said that in addition to the death toll, a further 30 people were injured and 23 vehicles were trapped, and they were continuing the search for bodies and injured people. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered local authorities to make an all-out effort to save lives and ensure “overall social stability”. He ordered government … Read more

Death toll rises to 24 after highway collapses in China’s Guangdong province

The cave-in occurred at around 2am in Dabu County of Guangdong’s northern Meizhou City. Nearly 18 metres (59 feet) of the mountainous highway crumbled into the forested slope below, trapping 20 vehicles and 54 passengers in all, the local government said, issuing revised casualty figures. It had earlier said 18 vehicles and about 50 passengers … Read more

Heavy rains continue to batter China’s Guangdong province as forecasters warn more storms are coming

Previously the worst affected areas were in the north of the province, with floods and landslides displacing more than 110,000 people along the Bei River, a tributary of the Pearl River. State news agency Xinhua said the Bei had recorded its highest levels in over 50 years years on Monday, although the floodwaters have now … Read more

Rescuers in China’s Guangdong race to save residents from flooding after heavy rain pummels province

Helicopters and rubber boats were deployed as rescuers raced against time to save residents from flooding in south China’s Guangdong province following heavy rainfall. In the city of Shaoguan in the north of the province, where large areas are flooded and landslides have been reported, rescuers were sent to relocate trapped residents and transport food … Read more

China issues ‘once in a century’ flood warning for Guangdong’s Bei River zone

Northern and western Guangdong have been battered by intense rainstorms since Friday, breaking rainfall records for April in many places. The cities of Qingyuan, Shaoguan, Huizhou and capital Guangzhou have been particularly hard hit, prompting flood alerts and rainstorm warnings for three days in a row. According to the National Meteorological Centre, most of the … Read more

When a Hong Kong truck driver was tried in China for gun smuggling, and waited over eight months in custody for a verdict

“Eight months after his trial ended, a Hong Kong truck driver detained in Shenzhen since his arrest on firearms smuggling charges more than two years ago is still waiting to learn his fate,” reported the South China Morning Post on June 3, 2003. “As his family grows increasingly desperate, experts on mainland law have called … Read more

Southern China still lashed by heavy rains, triggering second flood alert in as many days

According to the Ministry of Water Resources, China’s major rivers and lakes can flag “numbered floods” when their water levels reach the warning level or register a flood of “once in two to five years” magnitude. By 9am on Sunday, the water level at the local measuring station in Guangdong’s Yingde county, which lies along … Read more

Taiwan earthquake disrupts trains in mainland China at start of Ching Ming travel rush

The 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the east coast of Taiwan at 7.58am local time, causing buildings to collapse and killing at least nine. There are 934 people reported to be injured, while efforts are continuing to rescue 56 trapped in the wreckage. While Taiwan’s eastern Hualien county suffered the brunt of the quake, its effects … Read more

Ex-Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou starts ‘journey of peace’ in mainland China

Before he left for Shenzhen on Monday, Ma told reporters at the airport that his trip would be “a journey of peace and a journey of friendship”. “In the face of the increasingly tense situation in the Taiwan Strait, I hope we can convey the sentiments of the Taiwanese people that they love peace, hope … Read more

Chinese banker jailed for life in US$483 million corruption case, largest ever in country’s history

The court ruled that Xu, in his role as bank chief, and his accomplices had embezzled more than 900 million yuan (US$125.4 million) in US dollars, Hong Kong dollars and German marks. Their misdeeds transpired through fraudulent loans, misappropriated loan repayments and the siphoning of bank funds to other accounts, it added. The group was … Read more