Flooding collapses China bridge
A flood-swollen river caused a village bridge to collapse in central
China, killing at least 37 people and officials warned the region to
prepare for more rains this week, media reported on Tuesday.
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More than 750 people are reported to have died in floods and
landslides in China this year, with hundreds of others still
missing. AFP |
Another 19 people were still missing, the local Dahe newspaper
reported on its website, www.dahe.cn, after a 153-meter-long bridge in
mountainous Luanchuan county in the central province of Henan collapsed
on Saturday afternoon.
Most of the people on the bridge were tossed into the river, raging
after weeks of torrential rains, but six people were rescued, according
to the report.
Three days of heavy rains in the province have killed 52 people,
including those on the bridge, and left 20 missing, the website said in
a separate report, adding that nearly 200,000 people have had to be
relocated.
Also on Tuesday, the Xinhua news agency said 21 people were missing
after rains triggered a landslide in southwestern Sichuan province.
More than 750 people are reported to have died in floods and
landslides in China this year, with hundreds of others still missing.
China typically faces heavy rains and flooding at this time of year, but
damage and casualties this season have been worse than usual.
During a weekend tour to flood-hit areas of Hubei and Anhui
provinces, Premier Wen Jiabao called the flood-control situation
‘critical’ and urged local officials to prepare for more heavy rains
forecast in coming days.
- Reuters |
