China floods: 11 dead, dozens missing after highway bridge collapses

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — At least 11 people were killed and 30 missing in a partial collapse of a highway bridge in northwest China after severe storms and flooding, authorities said. A similar number were missing in the southwest after storms destroyed dozens of homes.

Five vehicles that fell off a bridge in Shaanxi province were pulled out after its structure collapsed at about 8:40 p.m. Friday, China’s official Xinhua news agency said. A photo released by Xinhua showed part of the bridge broken off and falling at a nearly 90-degree angle into the brown waters flowing below.

Rescue operations are still underway on Saturday in the province’s Zhashui County, where about 20 vehicles and 30 people are still missing, she added.

About 30 people were missing in southwestern Sichuan province and about 40 homes were destroyed by floods and storms, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Roads, bridges and communications networks in the hardest-hit Hanyuan county were damaged or disrupted and rescue teams were working since before dawn to restore communications and transportation, it said.

With its economy booming over recent decades, China China has built a massive network of highways, high-speed railways and airports, most of which have helped support further growth.

However, the sharp decline in this economic expansion, poor quality infrastructure, poor safety oversight, and the desire to cut costs by industries seeking to save money, have led to a steady stream of Fatal accidents.

China’s western and southwestern provinces are particularly vulnerable to floods and landslides due to their mountainous terrain and powerful rivers. Mining, tourism and increasing urbanization have also upset the fragile balance with the natural environment that has existed for thousands of years.

Shaanxi is famous as one of the centres of Chinese civilisation, where the first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, emerged from, leaving the famous Terracotta Army as his legacy outside the capital Xi’an as part of a massive tomb complex that attracts huge numbers of visitors every year.