Schoolgirl feared dead after being swept off bridge in record floods
A schoolgirl is feared dead after she was swept off her scooter while trying to cross a river as China's south faces its heaviest rain in 60 years.
Alarming video shows the girl, 15, and a friend attempting to cross the murky, flooded Wuyang river 100km northwest of Liuzhou, Guangxi, on June 18, Chinese state publication The Paper reported.
As they slowly drive their electric scooters across the concrete passing, water can be seen lapping over it.
When they are about two thirds of the way across they are both swept into the water and are seen struggling to stay afloat as they drift down the river.
Bystanders rushed to help, using a boat to chase after them, local media reported. However they were only able to save one of the girls.
The bridge, which has signage warning of drowning, has been temporarily closed.
Authorities have yet to find any trace of the missing girl.
Video of the incident has stunned social media users in China, with many Weibo users urging people to take more precautions during the storms.
China's south battered by severe storms
It comes as the nation's south is pummelled with severe storms that has seen the heaviest rainfall for several provinces in more than 60 years, local weather bureaus said over the weekend.
While the region experiences an annual wet season, there are concerns climate change is making conditions more extreme.
Last year close to 400 people were killed in floods in Henan province, including 12 people who drowned in a flooded subway.
Earlier this month, torrential rains in the south led to at least 32 deaths, including seven in a landslide in Guangxi.
Flood warnings were upgraded in parts of Guangdong province on Tuesday as rivers reached record levels, forcing authorities to instruct residents to move to higher ground.
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