BEIJING - President Xi Jinping has urged all-out rescue efforts after a highway bridge collapse in Shaanxi province killed at least 12 people and left many more missing, state media reported on Saturday.
The incident occurred at 8.40pm on Friday in Shangluo city in the northwestern province, when a bridge collapsed due to a flash flood, causing some vehicles to fall into the river.
As of 10am Saturday, five vehicles were confirmed to have fallen into the water, with 12 bodies recovered from them, the Xinhua news agency reported.
At least 31 people remained missing. Initial investigations indicated that 17 cars and eight trucks had fallen into the river, it added.
Xi said China is in a critical period for flood control and local governments must take responsibility to enhance monitoring and early warning.
The national fire and rescue authority said on Saturday it had dispatched a rescue team to the site that included 859 people, 90 vehicles, 20 boats and 41 drones.
Large parts of northern and central China have been battered in recent days by rains that have caused flooding and significant damage.
In the southwestern province of Sichuan, more than 30 people were reported missing on Saturday after a violent thunderstorm caused flash flooding in the town of Ya’an, according to the state broadcaster CCTV.