9 individuals died and one was lacking after a sudden storm prompted 4 vacationer boats to capsize in southwestern China’s Guizhou province, in response to state media.
The vessels, carrying 84 passengers and crew, overturned at round 4pm native time on Sunday when a strong hail and rainstorm swept throughout the Liuchong river in Qianxi metropolis.
The river is a tributary of the higher Wujiang, which finally feeds into the Yangtze, China’s longest river. Guizhou’s dramatic mountainous panorama and rivers are a preferred draw for home vacationers, notably throughout China’s five-day Could Day vacation, which ended on Monday.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that 70 survivors have been taken to hospital with non-life-threatening accidents whereas 4 guests emerged unscathed.
Search and rescue groups had pulled greater than 50 individuals from the water by 7pm on Sunday and operations continued into Monday to find the remaining lacking particular person, AFP information company reported.
President Xi Jinping urged authorities to make “all-out efforts” to seek out the final particular person unaccounted for and guarantee correct therapy for the injured.
Mr Xi additionally emphasised the necessity to reinforce security protocols at vacationer locations and public venues, state information company Xinhua reported.
Vice premier Zhang Guoqing travelled to the scene to supervise rescue operations whereas almost 500 personnel, together with law enforcement officials, firefighters and medical staff, have been mobilised by provincial authorities.
A video launched by state media confirmed a person trying CPR on a sufferer close to one of many upturned boats, which drifted the other way up within the swollen river.
An eyewitness informed Beijing Information the storm arrived immediately and thick mist made visibility poor.
The reason for the capsizing was beneath investigation although authorities confirmed that the boats weren’t overloaded. Every of the 2 foremost vessels concerned was carrying round 40 individuals, in response to CCTV.
The tragedy got here simply over two months after 11 individuals died in a boating accident in central China’s Hunan province, the place a passenger vessel collided with an industrial ship.
