Eleven people have died and more than 30 are still missing after a bridge collapsed in northern China due to torrential rain, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday.

The bridge over a river in Shangluo, Shaanxi province, collapsed at around 8:40 p.m. (12:40 GMT) on Friday “due to a sudden downpour and flooding,” the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing the provincial public relations department.

“Nearly 20 vehicles and more than 30 people” are still missing after the highway bridge collapsed into the river, CCTV said.

All 11 confirmed victims were found in five vehicles that have been recovered from the water so far, the broadcaster said.

Images on state television showed a partially submerged section of the bridge as the river flowed over it.

Large parts of northern and central China have been hit by rainfall since Tuesday, causing flooding and significant damage.

On Friday, state media reported that at least five people were killed and eight were missing after rainfall caused flooding and mudslides in the Shaanxi city of Baoji.

State television broadcast images of neighborhoods completely submerged in muddy water as residents and diggers tried to clear the damage.

– Extreme weather –

The semi-desert province of Gansu, which borders Shaanxi, and Henan in central China were also hit by heavy rains this week.

According to CCTV, the city of Nanyang in Henan received an annual rainfall earlier this week.

China is facing a summer of extreme weather, with heavy rainfall in the east and south, while much of the north is experiencing successive heat waves.

Climate change, which scientists say is being exacerbated by greenhouse gas emissions, is making such extreme weather events more frequent and intense.

In May, a highway in southern China collapsed after days of rain, killing 48 people.

Earlier this month, a tornado ripped through a city in eastern China, killing one person, injuring 79 and causing extensive damage.

sbr/cwl/mtp