12 dead, over 60 missing in bridge collapse, flash floods in China

Beijing, July 20

At least 12 people were killed in a bridge collapse and more than 60 others went missing in flash floods in China’s Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces, officials said on Saturday.

The highway bridge collapse triggered by torrential rains in northwest Shaanxi Province killed 12 people and left 31 others missing, local authorities said.

The bridge, located in Zhashui County in Shangluo City, partially collapsed around 8:40 pm on Friday due to a sudden downpour and flash floods, according to the provincial publicity department.

So far, rescue workers have found 12 dead bodies and rescued one person, said the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s provincial committee.

The collapse caused 17 cars and eight trucks to plunge into the Jinqian River below the bridge, according to initial investigations.

Rescue officials have recovered seven vehicles that had fallen into the swollen river.

Thirty-one people remain unaccounted for, and search efforts are ongoing, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Separately, more than 30 people remained missing after flash floods struck Xinhua Village in Sichuan Province at around 2:30 am on Saturday, local authorities said.

The floods triggered by torrential rains also damaged over 40 houses in the village in Hanyuan County, Ya’an City, according to the country’s emergency management bureau.

The disaster also disrupted roads, bridges, and communications, and rescue operations are currently underway, the report said.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged all-out rescue and relief efforts to safeguard people’s lives and property after the collapse of the highway bridge.

“The immediate priority is to carry out rescue operations, make every effort to search for the missing and minimise casualties,” Xi said in his instructions to the officials.

He also urged efforts to assist the families of those affected, emphasising the importance of well-planned rescue and the prevention of secondary disasters.