BEIJING: An entire section of a roadway bridge has plunged into a wide river in southern China, sending two vehicles into the water and leaving two people missing.

Heyuan city police said the 120-meter (390-foot) section collapsed early Friday morning.

China's Xinhua News Agency reported that two nearby security guards rescued a 44-year-old man, and two other people remained missing.

Dramatic footage on state broadcaster CCTV showed two arches of the six-arch bridge falling apart within seconds and without any apparent warning.

The bridge spans the Dongjiang river in Guangdong province.

The cause of the collapse is under investigation. Southern China has been hit with heavy rains and flooding that has caused 61 deaths, but it wasn't clear if swelling waters were a factor. —AP