Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - May 1, 2024 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of press conference in progress; official speaking, official, attendees observing silence

Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - May 1, 2024 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. Aerial shots of collapsed road, rescuers, excavators, crane working

Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - May 1, 2024 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of truck moving
4. Various of emergency responders directing emergency vehicles
5. Various of crane, truck, excavator

The death toll following a road collapse on an expressway in south China's Guangdong Province on early Wednesday morning has risen to 48, local authorities said.

Ma Zhengyong, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Meizhou Municipal Committee, said at a press conference held on Thursday that as of 14:00 that day, the accident has trapped 23 vehicles, resulting in 48 deaths and 30 injuries.

The DNA of three more people was being analyzed, while the injured people were receiving treatment in hospital and were not in life-threatening situations, he said.

The collapse of over 184 square meters of roadway occurred at around 02:10 on a section of the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway in the province's Meizhou City, according to local authorities.