11 dead and more than 30 missing

Torrential rains to the point of collapsing a highway bridge. The partial collapse of this structure in northern China has left at least 11 dead and rescue workers are mobilized this Saturday, July 20 to try to find around thirty people. The highway bridge, which spans a river, collapsed Friday evening around 8:40 p.m. (2:40 p.m. Paris time) “due to heavy downpour and flash floods” in Shangluo, 900 km southwest of Beijing in Shaanxi province, the official Xinhua news agency reported, putting the death toll at 11.

State television CCTV, which for its part mentions “more than 30 missing”. It also released images of the partially collapsed bridge. A three-lane section is now in the waters of a river, while the structure appears to have held up in the other direction of traffic. A strong current is visible.

While circulating, “I noticed something was not right in front of me” on the bridge, a witness, Mr Meng, told local media. “Motorists were yelling for me to brake and stop the car. A truck in front didn’t stop and fell over” into the void. On Saturday morning, rescuers were able to bring five vehicles to the surface. The 11 victims were found inside, according to CCTV. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all efforts” to be concentrated on the rescue operations, “the priority” at the moment, according to comments reported by CCTV.

Floods in several provinces

Since Tuesday, large swathes of northern and central China have been hit by torrential rains, causing flooding and major property damage. In the same Shaanxi province, heavy rains in recent days have left five dead and eight missing in Baoji, home to about 3.2 million people, according to a report released Friday by Xinhua. State television broadcast images of neighborhoods completely flooded by muddy waters, where excavators and residents are busy clearing the damage.

The neighbouring semi-desert province of Gansu in the northwest of the country and the central province of Henan have also been hit by heavy rain this week. In Nanyang province, a year’s worth of rain fell earlier this week, according to CCTV.

China is suffering from extreme weather this summer, with record temperatures in the north and the south suffering from rain and flooding. Climate change, which scientists say is being fueled by greenhouse gas emissions, is making such extreme weather events more frequent and intense.

Earlier this month, a tornado struck a town in eastern China, killing one person, injuring 79 and causing extensive damage. And in May, a highway collapse following heavy rains in southern China killed 48 people.