11 dead, dozens missing after highway bridge in China crumbles in flooding and heavy storms

It looks like one set of bridge piers was washed out. Without the piers underneath the bridge deck collapsed. This sort of weather related failure is hardly confined to China. I have seen interstate highway bridges washed out in the US due to flash flooding.

RIP to those that died.

It looks like the Chinese government, similar to governments around the world also needs to spend more money and resources upgrading infrastructure, especially these days when extreme weather events are increasingly common and many weather events are damaging critical facilities like bridges, roads and dams. The planet is in a new climate cycle, and our rulers need to change how things are done (the Roman era is long passed, knock wood the fossil era will be gone before long, too) and find better ways to make life a bit safer for the rest of us.

When Japanese die due to extreme weather events, RIP.

When Chinese die due to extreme weather events, RIP.

whenever china give you the death number, you have to double or triple it to get the true picture

Pukey2.

The terms Tofu-Dreg or Tofu Buildings are used to refer to Chinese construction when they cut important corners. Cutting corners as the ones stated in the article:

However, a dramatic decline in that economic expansion, the poor-quality infrastructure, poor safety supervision and a desire to cut corners by industries looking to save money have led to a steady stream of deadly industrial accidents.

Many bridges collapse with severe weather like floods and typhoons. Not only in China.

Systemic grift and shoddy construction.

Hardly surprising.

The infamous 'Tofu Dreg' construction... RIP the car drivers and passengers.

I seem to recall bridges and what-not also collapsing when there are intense floodings and mudslides in Japan and other countries. I noticed you used the Japanese word 'tofu',

Nature remains the most powerful force around.

The infamous 'Tofu Dreg' construction... RIP the car drivers and passengers.