Moment bridge collapses into river amid severe flooding

This is the disturbing moment a bridge in the US state of Iowa collapsed after weeks of rain.

Footage shows the railroad bridge across the Big Sioux River in North Sioux City caved in the centre and partially under water.

The incident happened about an hour ago, around 11pm local time, with multiple roads now closed.

The construction, which connects Riverside and North Sioux City, came under the pressure of the rising waters.

Sirens blared as the depth of the Big Sioux rose above historic levels, bursting out of its banks in some areas.

Storms have battered the Midwestern region where the damage to infrastructure has been described as ‘staggering’.

A drone view shows a flooded area following heavy rainfall in Rock Valley, Iowa (Picture: Reuters)

Helicopters were deployed to evacuate people from flooded homes on Saturday (Picture: AP)

Governor Kim Reynolds declared a disaster for 20 counties in the north, including Sioux County.

Floodwaters forced people out of their homes in parts of the state, the result of weeks of rain.

On Saturday, emergency responders had conducted 250 water rescues, more than 1,000 people had been sheltered, and more than 1,900 properties damaged, with hundreds destroyed.

The collapse of the bridge comes just hours after an alarm was raised in the city of Rock Valley where people in hundreds of homes were told to get out as the Rock River could no longer take the rain.

The city lacked running water because wells were unusable.

Warnings of imminent or already occurring flooding are in place for rivers in parts of the state, alongside Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

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