Flooding in Midwestern US kills at least two, railroad bridge collapses

Flooding in the Midwestern US killed at least two people, collapsed a railroad bridge and sent water surgingaround a dam following days of heavy rain that forcedhundreds of people to evacuate or be rescued from rising waters, American media reported on Monday (June 24). On Saturday (June 22), a man from Illinois died while trying togo around a barricade in Spencer.

According to theClay County Sheriff’s Office, theLittle Sioux River swept the man's truck away.Officials found the vehicle in the treeline but weren’t able to recover his body until Monday because of dangerous conditions.

Added misery to an ongoing heatwave

The second person died in South Dakota, the state's GovernorKristi Noem said without giving any further details.

A report by the news agency Associated Press said that the flooding brought added miseryto parts of Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota during an ongoing heatwave.In some communities hit by flooding, the temperature Monday afternoon approached 37.7 degrees Celsius.

Large span of collapsed bridge partially underwater

More than 3 million people live in areas touched by flooding, from Omaha, Nebraska, to St. Paul, Minnesota, the report said.In Nebraska's Omaha area, the flooding caused government agencyAmtrak to use buses to transportpassengers temporarily.

The railroad bridge collapsed in South Dakota'sNorth Sioux City.The bridge connected North Sioux City, South Dakota, with Sioux City, Iowa, and fell into the Big Sioux River on Sunday night.

Images on social media showeda large span of the steel bridge partially underwater as floodwaters rushed over it. No injuries were reported from the bridge collapse.

(With inputs from agencies)