China Bridge Collapse: Claims 11 Lives, Over 30 Missing After Flash Floods

At least 11 people died after a highway bridge partially collapsed in northwest China’s Shaanxi province on Saturday morning, Xinhua reported, citing local authorities. The bridge, located in Zhashui County in Shangluo City, collapsed at around 8:40 pm on Friday due to a sudden downpour and flash floods, according to the provincial publicity department.

By 10 am today, rescue teams had recovered five vehicles that had fallen into the river, Xinhua reported. Rescue operations are underway.

Over 30 people are also missing due to the bridge collapse, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported, citing state television. Since Tuesday, large portions of northern and central China have been dealing with heavy rains, which have caused flooding and significant damage.

Earlier on Friday, state media reported that at least five people died and eight were missing after the rains sparked flooding and mudslides in Shaanxi’s Baoji city. Reportedly, China is witnessing a summer of extreme weather, with heavy rains across the east and south while much of the north has sweltered in successive heat waves, CNA reported.

Earlier this month, nearly a quarter of a million people were evacuated in eastern China as rainstorms lashed parts of the country and caused the Yangtze and other rivers to swell, state media reported. According to Xinhua, the storms affected 991,000 residents in Anhui province and forced the evacuation of 242,000 people.

(With ANI Inputs)