President Xi Jinping urged all-out rescue efforts after a highway bridge collapse on Friday in Shaanxi province in China's northwest killed 11 people, state media reported on Saturday.
The incident occurred at 8:40 p.m. in Shangluo city on Friday when a highway bridge collapsed due to a flash flood, causing some vehicles to fall into the river.
As of 10 a.m. on Saturday, five vehicles were confirmed to have fallen into the water and 30 people were reported missing, state media said.
Xi said China is in a critical period for flood control and local governments must take responsibility to enhance monitoring and early warning.
A photo released by the official Xinhua News Agency showed a section of the bridge snapped and folded down at almost a 90-degree angle into the rushing brown water below.
China's 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.
China's western and southwestern provinces are particularly prone to flooding and landslides due to their mountainous landscapes and the powerful rivers that run through them. Mining, tourism and rising urbanization have also disturbed a precarious balance with the natural environment that had been sustained over thousands of years.
