Was the deadly bridge collapse a freak accident or the result of China’s race to modernize?

China’s rescue services are still searching for more than 30 missing people after a bridge collapsed in floods in the western province of Shaanxi on Friday evening.

So far, a dozen people have been found dead after more than 20 cars plunged into the river when the bridge collapsed.

There is now a large hole where the motorway bridge used to be. One side is undamaged. On the other side, however, the road looks as if it had broken off and bent vertically downwards.

A farmer from Xin Ping village told us what happened: “At around 9 p.m., water poured down from this mountain. I heard the highway bridge collapse and two cars fell into the river. We went to look, but there was nothing we could do.”

China has deployed more than 800 rescue workers, boats, drones and earthmoving machines on site.

President Xi Jinping has called for “every effort” to be made to find survivors.

But time has definitely run out. It looked like a rescue operation.

As we walked along the river, we saw three trucks and a car stuck in the muddy bank or partially submerged. A crane was preparing to lift one of them out.

China’s rapid economic development over the past 40 years has led to an unprecedented expansion of its road, bridge and rail networks.

However, this also raises questions about the quality of some infrastructure projects.

This is the second bridge to collapse during this flood season.

The village farmer who witnessed the whole thing told us he was worried: “People are really scared. It is very unsafe.”

However, he did not blame the construction of the bridge: “It could not be changed. Thick tree trunks were washed down the river and broke the pillars. The water could not drain away and the bridge collapsed.”

Another farmer, Mr. Huang, said he expected problems with local roads and bridges, but not with a road as big as this one. “We don’t expect there to be problems with expressways,” he said.

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As we set off, the midday sun was high in the sky, the heat was relentless, and rescue workers crouched in the shade waiting for orders.

China is good at dealing with emergencies during the rainy season. Millions of people have been affected and very few have died in a country of 1.4 billion people.

This could be an isolated case. But in the race to modernize, some Chinese are nagging at the feeling that cutbacks have been made in some areas and that China may now have to catch up.

(c) Sky News 2024: Was the deadly bridge collapse a freak accident or the result of China’s modernization race?