A bridge collapsed, killing eleven people and leaving about thirty missing.

A partial bridge collapse following heavy rains in northern China on Friday, July 19, has killed eleven people; emergency services are mobilizing to try to find around thirty people.

The highway bridge over the river collapsed on Friday evening at around 8:40 p.m. (local time). “Due to heavy rains and flooding” China's official Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday that 11 people were killed in Shangluo, Shaanxi province. State broadcaster CCTV, which broadcast images of the partially collapsed bridge, said on Saturday “More than thirty missing”Shangluo is located about 900 kilometers southwest of Beijing as the crow flies.

Since Tuesday, large parts of northern and central China have been affected by heavy rains, causing flooding and significant property damage.

A section of three lanes is now in the river, while the structure appears to have held up in the other direction of traffic. Rescuers managed to pull five vehicles to the surface on Saturday morning. All 11 victims were found inside, CCTV reported. As it circulated, “I noticed something was wrong in front of me.” A witness told local media on the bridge. “The drivers were yelling at me to stop and park the car. (…) The truck in front of you did not stop and fell. This witness added in a vacuum.

Last May, a highway collapse following heavy rains in southern China killed 48 people.

China is facing severe weather conditions this summer.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a focus on “all efforts” Regarding relief operations ” priority “ At the moment, according to comments reported by CCTV.

At the other end of the country, a violent storm on Saturday caused a sudden rise in water levels in the city of Ya'an in the mountainous southwestern province of Sichuan. More than 30 people are missing there, CCTV reported, citing local authorities, who said communications and roads had been cut off.

In Shaanxi province, heavy rains in recent days have killed five people and left eight missing in Baoji, home to about 3.2 million people, according to a report by Xinhua News Agency on Friday. State television broadcast images of neighborhoods completely submerged in muddy water, with excavators and residents busy cleaning up the damage.

Neighboring semi-desert Gansu province (northwest) and Henan province (central) have also been hit by heavy rains this week. In that province, in Nanyang, a year's worth of rain fell at the start of the week, according to CCTV.

China is experiencing extreme weather this summer, with local temperatures hitting record highs, especially in the north, while the south is suffering from rain and flooding. Climate change, exacerbated by greenhouse gas emissions, is making these types of extreme weather events more frequent and more intense, scientists say.

Earlier this month, a tornado passed through a town in eastern China, killing one person, injuring 79 others, and causing extensive damage.