Bus plunge, floods leave 29 dead in northern China

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities say 14 people have died after a bus plunged into a rushing river during heavy flooding that has caused 15 other fatalities. State media reported the bus driver ignored warnings not to cross a bridge that was almost covered by the surging floods. Seven among 37 survivors of the plunge were hospitalized. The floods have destroyed thousands of homes and covered vast expanses of farmland in two northern provinces. The floods have also disrupted coal mining during a shortage of the fuel that is hampering power production, biting into an economy struggling to maintain momentum and threatening heating for homes as winter arrives.