China: 12 die as bridge collapses, 31 missing

New Delhi: As China deals with extreme weather condition, a bridge collapse in Shaanxi province has resulted in at least 11 deaths while dozens of people are missing.

The incident reportedly took place at 8:40 pm in Shangluo city on Friday. The reason of the mishap was attributed to heavy rains and flash floods, as reported by State news agency Xinhua.

A total of 17 cars and eight trucks plunged into the Jinqian River below the bridge based on initial investigation.

As of Saturday noon, rescue workers had recovered seven of them and found 12 people dead, with one person rescued, said the provincial Party committee.

Thirty-one people remain unaccounted for, and search efforts are ongoing.

As per a report, a witness named Meng said that as he approached the bridge, other drivers yelled at him to stop. He did so and thus was narrowly saved. However, another truck did not stopped and thus plunged into the river, Meng added.

Report says that, President Xi Jinping has called for extensive rescue operations to protect lives and property in this matter.

(With inputs from IANS)