At least 11 people have died and 30 are missing in the partial collapse of a highway bridge in China's northwest, authorities said, after heavy storms and flooding. Roughly as many people are missing in the southwest after dozens of houses were destroyed by storms, the AP reports. The official Xinhua News Agency said five vehicles that fell off the bridge into a river have been recovered after the structure in Shaanxi province crumbled around 8:40pm Friday, adding that rescue operations were continuing Saturday. 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.
State media said that more than 20 vehicles went into the water, per the BBC. In Sichuan province to the southwest, an estimated 30 people were missing and around 40 houses wrecked in flooding and storms, the agency reported. It said that 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.
As its economy boomed over recent decades, China built a huge network of highways, high-speed railways, and airports, most of which have helped fuel further growth. However, a dramatic decline in that economic expansion, the inferior-quality infrastructure, poor safety supervision, and a desire to cut corners by industries looking to save money have led to a steady stream of deadly accidents, per the AP. China's western and southwestern provinces are particularly prone to flooding and landslides due to their mountainous landscapes and the powerful rivers that run through them. At least 48 people were killed in May in southern China, per the New York Times, when a section of highway collapsed after heavy rain.
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