Beijing (Agencies)
At least 12 people were killed yesterday when part of a bridge collapsed in northern China, where rescue teams are still searching for about 30 missing people, as vast areas of northern and central China have been exposed to heavy rains since last Tuesday, causing floods and extensive material damage.
China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday that a highway bridge crossing a river collapsed due to heavy rain and flash floods in Shangluo, Shaanxi Province.
The death toll rose yesterday afternoon to 12 dead and 31 missing, according to Xinhua.
Shangluo is about 900 kilometers southwest of Beijing. A witness told local media he was approaching the bridge when other drivers “started shouting at me to stop,” adding that there was a truck in front of him that failed to stop and fell into the water.
Meanwhile, President Xi Jinping urged all efforts to find survivors, according to CCTV.
State television broadcast footage of the bridge showing part of it collapsing into the river, while its structure in the other direction of travel remains intact, with a strong current visible in the river.
According to initial investigations, 17 cars and 8 trucks fell into the river, Xinhua reported, raising fears that the death toll could rise.
China witnessed a similar disaster last May when a highway collapsed following heavy rains in the south of the country, killing 48 people.
In Shaanxi province itself, heavy rains in recent days have killed five people and left eight others missing in Baoji, a city of about 3.2 million, according to a tally by the official Xinhua news agency on Monday. State television broadcast footage of neighborhoods completely submerged in muddy water, with bulldozers and residents working to clear debris and repair the damage.
Heavy rains have also fallen this week in neighboring semi-desert Gansu province in the northwest and Henan province in the center. CCTV reported that Nanyang in Henan province recorded a year’s worth of rainfall earlier this week.
Climate change
China is experiencing extreme weather conditions this summer, with the meteorological authority predicting a sharp rise in temperatures for much of the season, especially in the north of the country, while the south is hit by heavy rains and floods.
This type of extreme weather event is becoming more frequent and intense as a result of climate change, which is exacerbated by greenhouse gas emissions, according to scientists.
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