BEIJING: A bridge collapse caused by heavy rains in northern China has killed around eleven people and left over 30 missing, official media said Saturday.
The bridge over a river in Shaanxi province’s Shangluo collapsed at 8:40 pm Friday due to a sudden rainstorm and flash floods, official news agency Xinhua said, citing the local officials.
Similarly, state-run broadcaster CCTV reported that about 20 vehicles and over 30 people remained missing following the highway bridge collapsed into the river below.
The TV reported that 11 confirmed victims were found inside vehicles that had so far been recovered from the river. Photos on state TV showed an incompletely submerged section of the bridge with the river roaring over it.
After the mishap, Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged “all-out efforts” to find those people still missing, CCTV reported.
Large areas of northern and central China have been battered since Tuesday by heavy rains that have caused flooding and heavy damage.
Earlier, on Friday local media reported that five people dead and eight missing following the rains sparked mudslides and flooding in Shaanxi’s Baoji city.
