12 people died and more than 30 went missing after a bridge collapsed in China

At least 12 people died after a bridge partially collapsed in northern China torrential rainAnd rescue workers are searching for more than 30 people missing in the tragedy this Saturday.

The road bridge collapsed at around 8:40 pm (12:40 GMT) on Friday “due to heavy rain and flooding”. in Shangluo city, Xinhua Press Agency reported this on Saturday.

at least 12 people died and 31 people are missing in this accident. According to the same source.

Previous reports showed 11 people dead and state television CCTV said “more than 30 people” were missing.

Shangluo city is located in the northern province of Shaanxi, About 900 kilometers southwest of Beijing.

Since Tuesday, large areas of northern and central China have been hit by heavy rainfall, causing floods and significant material damage.

As per the first elements of the investigation, 17 vehicles and eight trucks fell into the riverTherefore, it is feared that the death toll will rise in the coming hours, Xinhua agency indicated.

“The drivers were screaming”

Pictures from Shangluo broadcast by CCTV showed a section of the road collapsed into the river. On the other hand, lanes in the opposite direction appeared to be blocked.

One witness told local media that while driving “I realised there was something unusual in front of me on the bridge”. “Drivers were shouting at me to stop and I stopped the car.”

“A truck that was in front did not stop and fell into the void,” said the witness, who only identified his last name, Meng.

According to CCTV, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all efforts” to be concentrated on rescue operations, which are the “priority” at the moment.

The incident is reminiscent of another incident in the south of the country in May, where 48 people died when a highway collapsed.

in the same Five people died and eight went missing after torrential rains hit Shaanxi province in Baoji city, which has 3.2 million inhabitants, according to a report released by Xinhua on Friday.

State television networks broadcast the images The neighborhood was completely filled with dirty waterNeighbors are walking around and workers in excavators are trying to repair the damage.

Neighbouring Gansu province, with a semi-desert climate, and central Henan were also hit by heavy rains this week.

In the latter region, Nanyang city recorded a normal amount of rainfall for a year since the start of the week, according to CCTV.

China is facing severe heat. in the north they have beaten local temperature record And this The south has also been affected by intense rainfall and flooding.

Scientists say climate change, caused by greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activity, is making these types of events more frequent and intense.