The bridge over a river in Shaanxi province’s Shangluo collapsed at around 8:40 pm Friday due to a sudden downpour and flash floods,
Sources say all 11 confirmed victims were found inside five vehicles that had so far been recovered from the water while large portions of northern and central China have been battered since Tuesday by rains that have caused flooding and significant damage.
It was reported that at least five people dead and eight missing after the rains sparked flooding and mudslides in Shaanxi’s Baoji city.
The semi-desert province of Gansu, which neighbours Shaanxi, and Henan in central China were also hit by heavy rains this week.
In the Henan city of Nanyang, the equivalent of a year’s worth of rain fell at the start of the week.
China is enduring a summer of extreme weather, with heavy rains across the east and south coming as much of the north has sweltered in successive heat waves.
Climate change, which scientists say is exacerbated by greenhouse gas emissions, is making these types of extreme weather phenomena more frequent and more intense.