Death toll from bridge collapse in China rises to 38
Thirty-eight people have now been reported dead after the partial collapse of a highway bridge in China’s northwest in July.
A total of 24 people are still listed as missing from the July 19 disaster in the province of Shaanxi in which two dozen vehicles plunged into a rushing river.
The area where the bridge fell had experienced heavy rains in the preceding days.
At least 25 cars fell into the river, according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV, and teams have searched kilometres downstream looking for victims.
A photo released by the Xinhua news agency shortly after the incident showed a section of the bridge snapped and folded at almost a 90-degree angle into the rushing brown water below.
The river passes through a mountain valley and the waters are turbulent, the report said.
The collapse has raised questions about the safety of China’s road and bridge infrastructure, which was built rapidly in recent decades. A similar collapse in May in Guangdong province killed 36 people.
Rains intensified by climate change have caused a series of landslides and flooding across Asia.
In China this week, 48 deaths were attributed to Typhoon Gaemi, which had weakened to a tropical storm when it reached the inland, southern province of Hunan.
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