Bridge Collapse in Shaanxi Province Claims At Least 11 Lives.

Shaanxi : At least 11 people were killed when a highway bridge partially collapsed in northwest China’s Shaanxi province on Saturday morning, according to local authorities cited by Xinhua.

The bridge, situated in Zhasui county of Shangluo city, gave way at around 8:40 p.m. on Friday due to sudden heavy rain and flash floods, as reported by the provincial publicity department. By 10 a.m. on Saturday, rescue teams had recovered five vehicles that had fallen into the river, Xinhua noted.

More than 30 people remain missing following the collapse. Heavy rains have battered large parts of northern and central China since Tuesday, leading to flooding and widespread damage. Earlier on Friday, state media reported that at least five people were killed and eight were missing after rains triggered floods and landslides in Shaanxi’s Baoji city.

China is currently experiencing extreme weather conditions, with heavy rains in the east and south, while much of the north is sweltering under persistent heat waves, according to CNA. Earlier this month, nearly a quarter of a million people were evacuated in eastern China as heavy rains lashed parts of the country, causing the Yangtze and other rivers to swell, state media reported. The storm affected 991,000 residents in Anhui province, forcing 242,000 people to evacuate, as per Xinhua.