Highway bridge collapses in southwest China due to rain-triggered landslide

ANKARA

A highway bridge collapsed in southwestern China on Tuesday due to a landslide triggered by continuous heavy rainfall in the region, state media reported.

The incident occurred in Guizhou province as massive rains continued to pound the region.

No casualties were reported in the incident.

Local authorities discovered deformation in the bridge structure during a patrol inspection on Tuesday and immediately implemented traffic control for the uphill lanes.

A probe into the cause of the collapse was initiated.

Meanwhile, the Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters of Rongjiang county issued an emergency evacuation notice.

Currently, water levels in the rivers of Pingyong, Zhaihao and Duliu in the county are rising rapidly.

According to forecasts, all three have exceeded the levels of a once-in-30-years flood.

About 70,000 people have already been evacuated and relocated to safer places since last week.

Around 300,000 people were affected in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, which experienced severe flooding last week. Heavy rains hit Anhui, Hubei, Guizhou provinces as well as Chongqing, prompting a flood emergency response.