Heavy rains caused a bridge to collapse in northern China, killing 11 people and leaving more than 30 missing, state media reported.
The bridge over the river in Shangluo city, Shaanxi province, collapsed at about 8.40pm on Friday “due to sudden heavy rains and flash floods,” Xinhua reported, citing the provincial information department.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that about 20 vehicles and more than 30 people were still missing.
The 11 identified victims were found inside five vehicles that were pulled from the water, CCTV said.
State television footage showed parts of a bridge partially submerged where the river flows into it.
One witness told local media that as he approached the bridge, other drivers “started yelling at him to brake and stop the car.”
“The truck in front of me didn’t stop and fell into the water,” a witness said.
President Xi Jinping called for “every effort” to be made to search for the missing, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
Heavy rains have hit large parts of northern and central China since Tuesday, causing flooding and extensive damage.
Rain-induced floods and landslides in Baoji city, Shaanxi province, killed at least five people and left eight missing, state media reported on Friday.
State television showed images of neighborhoods flooded with muddy water and excavators and residents trying to clean up the damage.
The semi-desert provinces of Gansu and Henan in central China, neighbouring Shaanxi, were also hit by heavy rains this week.
The city of Nanyang in Henan province received a year’s worth of rainfall earlier this week, CCTV reported.
Two people were reported dead and seven others missing in the southwestern province of Sichuan on Friday after a landslide caused by heavy rains, Xinhua reported.
China has been experiencing an unusual summer, with heavy rains falling on the east and south and much of the north sweltering in successive heatwaves.
The climate crisis is making these types of extreme weather events more frequent and intense.
In May, 48 people were killed when a highway in southern China collapsed after several days of rain.
Earlier this month, a tornado passed through a town in eastern China, killing one person, injuring 79 and causing extensive damage.
