Flash floods in northern and southwest China have killed at least 20 people and left dozens missing, state media said Saturday, after a week of deadly downpours across the country.
Several vehicles in northwestern Shaanxi province plunged into a swollen river late Friday after a bridge collapsed, with at least 12 people killed and over 30 missing, state news agency Xinhua reported.
The semi-desert province of Gansu, which neighbors Shaanxi, and Henan in central China were also hit by heavy rains this week.
In Henan’s Nanyang city, the equivalent of a year’s worth of rain fell at the start of the week, CCTV said.
And in Sichuan province, two people were reported killed and seven others missing Friday after heavy rain triggered landslides, Xinhua said.
China is enduring a summer of extreme weather, with heavy rains across the east and south coming as much of the north has sweltered under successive heat waves.
In May, a highway in southern China collapsed after days of rain, leaving 48 dead.
This month, a tornado passed through a town in eastern China, killing one, injuring 79 and causing major damage.