Reports from state media indicate that flash floods in northern and southwest China have resulted in the loss of at least 20 lives and dozens of people missing. These incidents follow a week of severe rainfall across the nation.
Late on Friday in northwestern Shaanxi province, a bridge collapse caused several vehicles to fall into a swollen river, resulting in at least 12 deaths and over 30 people missing, as reported by Xinhua, the state news agency.
Initial findings suggest that 17 cars and eight trucks were submerged into the river in Shangluo city, according to Xinhua.
Images broadcasted on state television show a section of the bridge partially submerged with the river flowing over it.
An eyewitness shared with local media that upon approaching the bridge, other drivers warned them to stop as a truck ahead did not halt and fell into the water.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for intensive rescue efforts to locate still missing individuals, Xinhua stated.
Additionally, in southwestern Sichuan province, more than 30 people have been reported missing after a violent thunderstorm resulted in flash floods in Ya’an town overnight, reported by Xinhua.
By Saturday evening, eight bodies had been recovered and four people were rescued without significant injuries.
Earlier, state media reported at least five casualties and eight missing individuals after flooding and mudslides due to heavy rains in Shaanxi’s Baoji city.
State TV aired footage of neighborhoods submerged in muddy water, with residents and excavators working to clear the destruction.
– Extreme weather –
Gansu, a semi-desert province neighboring Shaanxi, and Henan in central China also experienced heavy rainfall this week.
In Nanyang city, Henan, the amount of rain that fell at the beginning of the week was equivalent to a year’s worth, CCTV reported.
In Sichuan province, two individuals were reported dead and seven missing on Friday due to landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, according to Xinhua.
China is facing a summer of extreme weather, with the east and south experiencing heavy rains while the north is enduring successive heatwaves.
Scientists attribute these extreme weather events to climate change, which is exacerbated by greenhouse gas emissions, making them more frequent and intense.
In May, a highway in southern China collapsed after continuous rain, resulting in 48 fatalities.
Earlier this month, a tornado tore through a town in eastern China, causing one death, injuring 79 people, and inflicting significant damage.
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