In northern China, a highway bridge collapsed due to heavy rainfall. At least eleven people have died, and many are missing. This is not the first incident of its kind.
The collapse of a highway bridge in China has claimed the lives of at least eleven people. The tragedy occurred on Friday evening in the northwest part of China in the Shaanxi region.
According to state media, more than 30 people are currently missing. During the ongoing rescue operations, rescue teams recovered five vehicles in the morning that had fallen into a river when the bridge collapsed. Numerous search and rescue teams are involved in the operation, including over 700 firefighters with boats and drones, as reported by Chinese media.
The state media attribute the collapse to sudden rainfall and flash floods. China experiences heavy rainfall and floods regularly, especially during the summer months. In May, 48 people lost their lives in the southern Chinese region of Guangdong when a highway collapsed following heavy rainfall.
The collapse of infrastructure, such as bridges, due to extreme weather events is a serious concern globally. Climate change is leading to more frequent and intense rainfall, putting aging infrastructure at risk of failure. It is essential for authorities to invest in infrastructure resilience and disaster preparedness to prevent such tragedies in the future.
In addition to the immediate response to the bridge collapse, there is a need for thorough investigations to determine the root causes of such incidents. Identifying vulnerabilities in infrastructure and implementing measures to address them can help prevent similar disasters in the future. Public safety should be a top priority in infrastructure planning and maintenance to protect people’s lives and prevent such tragic events from occurring.