11 dead and dozens missing after a highway bridge crumbles in flooding and heavy storms

Chinese authorities say at least 11 people have died and 30 are missing in the partial collapse of a highway bridge in the northwest of the country following heavy storms and flooding. A similar number are missing in the southwest after dozens of houses were destroyed by storms.

The official Xinhua News Agency said five vehicles that fell off the bridge have been recovered after the structure in Shaanxi province crumbled at around 8:40 p.m. Friday. A photo released by Xinhua showed a section of the bridge snapped and folded down at almost a 90-degree angle into the rushing brown water below.

It said rescue operations were still underway Saturday in the province’s Zhashui county, with some 20 cars and 30 people still missing.

In Sichuan province to the southwest, an estimated 30 people were missing and around 40 houses wrecked in flooding and storms, Xinhua reported. It said roads, bridges and communication networks in hardest hit Hanyuan county had been damaged or knocked out and that rescue teams had been working since before dawn to restore communications and transport connections.

11 dead and dozens missing after a highway bridge crumbles in flooding and heavy storms

11 dead and dozens missing after a highway bridge crumbles in flooding and heavy storms

11 dead and dozens missing after a highway bridge crumbles in flooding and heavy storms

11 dead and dozens missing after a highway bridge crumbles in flooding and heavy storms

11 dead and dozens missing after a highway bridge crumbles in flooding and heavy storms