Eleven people have tragically lost their lives, and more than 30 individuals are currently unaccounted for following the collapse of a bridge in Shangluo, northern China's Shaanxi province. The incident occurred after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods on Saturday, causing a section of the bridge to give way. According to reports from AP, as the bridge collapsed, numerous people and vehicles were swept into the swollen river below.
The collapse was attributed to a sudden downpour and subsequent flash floods, as stated by the local public relations department and reported by Xinhua, China's state news agency. The victims included 11 individuals who were discovered inside five vehicles that had been submerged in the water.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has issued directives for officials to mobilize "all-out efforts" in the ongoing search and rescue operation to locate the missing individuals. The death toll may rise further as rescue efforts continue.
This incident follows recent heavy rains that have plagued northern and central China since Tuesday, leading to widespread flooding and other natural disasters. Just a day before the bridge collapse, mudslides in Shaanxi's Baoji city resulted in at least five fatalities and left eight others missing.
Across social media, distressing visuals have emerged showing entire neighborhoods submerged in muddy floodwaters and vehicles being swept away by the force of the floods. In southwestern Sichuan province, landslides triggered by heavy rains claimed the lives of two people, with seven more reported missing.
The scale of the rainfall has been severe in some regions, with reports indicating that Nanyang city in Henan province received rainfall equivalent to what would typically fall in an entire year. These incidents underscore the ongoing challenges posed by extreme weather events in China and the significant efforts required to mitigate their impact on communities.
