Death toll from a landslide in China rises to 8, with 19 missing August 5, 2024

A landslide that hit a village in south-west China caused a road bridge to collapse, killing at least eight people and leaving 19 missing, state media reported on Sunday.

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Death toll from a landslide in China rises to 8, with 19 missing

A landslide that hit a village in south-west China and caused a road bridge to collapse has killed at least eight people and left 19 missing, state media reported on Sunday.

The disaster occurred on Saturday morning near Kangding in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

A flash flood and landslide caused a road bridge linking two tunnels to collapse, causing four cars carrying 11 people to plummet, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday.

One person was rescued, but two others were found dead and eight were missing.

In the village of Ridi, close to the bridge that collapsed, another six people died and 11 are missing, according to CCTV.

China is experiencing a summer of extreme weather events, including torrential rain, floods, landslides, and record temperatures, which scientists say are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.

Last month, the collapse of a road bridge in northern Shaanxi province killed 38 people and left 24 missing, state media reported on Friday.

Heavy rains in central China this week have also killed at least 30 people and left 35 missing, according to a provisional balance published on Thursday.

Parts of eastern China were baked by a scorching heatwave this weekend, with temperatures in some areas hitting record highs.

The mercury hit 40.4 degrees Celsius (104.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in the center of Shanghai on Sunday, a record high this year, according to state media The Paper.

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