Highway bridge collapse leaves 38 dead and 24 missing in Shaanxi

A total of 38 people have died and 24 are reported missing as of Friday evening after a part of a highway bridge collapsed due to a sudden flash flood in Zhashui county of Shangluo, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, on July 19.

According to the local government of Shangluo, 25 vehicles have confirmed to have fallen into the river and one person has been rescued.

Following the collapse due to torrential rain, 3,408 professionals and specialized equipment such as boats, drones, detectors, and underwater robots have been mobilized to support multiple rounds of search and rescue work along about 100 kilometers of the downstream river, it said.

Currently, search efforts and follow-up operations are still ongoing, it added.