2 months ago
16
Following a sudden downpour and flash floods, a bridge in Shaanxi province collapsed, killing 11 people. Authorities are currently involved in rescue and recovery efforts. Large portions of northern and central China have been battered by heavy rains since Tuesday, causing flooding and significant damage read more
 "11 dead, over 30 missing in bridge collapse amid flash floods")
Flash floods in China's Shaanxi province led to the collapse of a bridge. 11 people are reported dead. Pixabay
Eleven people died when a bridge collapsed in northern China after heavy rain, according to state news agency Xinhua. The collapse in Shaanxi province occurred around 8:40 pm on Friday (1240 GMT) due to a sudden downpour and flash floods, as reported by the provincial public relations department.
“Nearly 20 vehicles and more than 30 people” remained missing after the highway bridge in Shaanxi province’s Shangluo collapsed into the river below Friday evening, CCTV said.
Rescue operations underway
Rescue operations were underway Saturday (July 20) morning, according to Xinhua, with five vehicles recovered from the water so far. Images on state television CCTV showed a partially submerged section of the bridge with the river rushing over it.
Large portions of northern and central China have been battered since Tuesday by rains that have caused flooding and significant damage. On Friday, state media reported at least five people dead and eight missing after the rains sparked flooding and mudslides in Shaanxi’s Baoji city.
More heavy rains were expected to hit eastern Shandong province and southwestern Sichuan, as forecasted by the China Meteorological Administration.
Extreme weather in China
China is enduring a summer of extreme weather, with heavy rains across the east and south coming as much of the north has sweltered in successive heat waves. Since the beginning of the rainy season (May through September), there have been at least 20 floods in major rivers across the country. According to The Guardian, 31 rivers surpassed their flood warning levels.
Earlier this week, China’s national meteorological center reissued a yellow alert for rainstorms. Additionally, warnings were issued by Beijing’s Ministry of Water Resources as water levels at Lake Tai rose to 3.9 meters last weekend, which is 0.1 meters above the warning level.
The Three Gorges Dam is currently on high alert due to the risk of more flooding. The rate of water flowing into the dam has surged to 44,000 cubic meters per second, causing the water level to rise to 15 meters above its normal level, reaching 161.1 meters.
The country, which is the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gases, is facing the impacts of climate change, which scientists say are linked to more frequent extreme weather events.
With inputs from AFP
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
English (US) ·