Authorities report at least 11 fatalities and 30 missing individuals following the partial collapse of a highway bridge in northwest China, attributed to severe storms and flooding. A comparable number of people are unaccounted for in the southwest, where heavy rains have resulted in the destruction of numerous homes.
The official Xinhua News Agency stated that five vehicles that plunged from the bridge have been recovered after the structure crumbled around 8:40 p.m. on Friday. A photograph disseminated by Xinhua depicted a segment of the bridge snapped and folded at nearly a 90-degree angle into the rushing brown water below.
Xinhua reported that rescue efforts continued on Saturday in the province’s Zhashui county, with approximately 20 vehicles and 30 people still missing.
In Sichuan province to the southwest, an estimated 30 people were unaccounted for and roughly 40 houses were destroyed by flooding and storms, Xinhua reported. The agency stated that roads, bridges, and communication networks in the hardest-hit Hanyuan county had been damaged or disrupted and that rescue teams had been working since before dawn to restore communications and transportation connections.
In recent decades, China has witnessed an explosive growth in its economy, leading to the construction of an extensive network of highways, high-speed railways, and airports, which have further fueled economic expansion.
However, a sharp slowdown in this economic growth, coupled with substandard infrastructure, inadequate safety oversight, and a tendency among industries to cut corners in pursuit of cost savings, have resulted in a persistent string of deadly accidents.
China’s western and southwestern provinces are particularly vulnerable to flooding and landslides due to their mountainous landscapes and the powerful rivers that traverse them. Mining, tourism, and increasing urbanization have also disrupted a delicate balance with the natural environment that had been maintained for thousands of years.
Shaanxi is renowned as one of the cradles of Chinese civilization, the birthplace of the first emperor, Qinshi Huangdi, who left the as his legacy outside the capital Xi’an as part of a vast tomb complex that draws massive numbers of visitors each year.