Thirty-two persons, including an infant, are missing, and eight
bodies have been recovered following a Wednesday morning collision
between two vessels on the Yangtze River in southwest China's
Chongqing Municipality.
The cargo ship "Yisheng" of central China's Hubei Province and the
passenger ship "Changyun 1" of a Chongqing shipping company
collided near a port in the water area of the river in
Chongqing.
The "Changyun 1" sank within two minutes of the impact, plunging
all 47 passengers into the icy water. The passengers included 18
teachers and one infant.
Thus far, seven passengers have been rescued.
The "Yisheng" had just left Chongqing with a cargo of 30 motor
vehicles when it collided with the "Changyun 1", according to Wu
Lianfan, deputy secretary-general of the Chongqing municipal
government.
Local officials and police rushed to the scene immediately. The
cause of the collision is under investigation.
(Xinhua News Agency December 18, 2002)