Tourists drown in Chinese river as four boats capsize during sudden storm
Nine people are dead and 70 more injured after tourist boats capsized on a river in Qianxi City, in China's northwestern Guizhou Province on Sunday afternoon.
One person was still unaccounted for on Monday as more than 500 emergency responders, including police, firefighters and medical personnel were deployed to coordinate rescue efforts.
In videos posted by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, numerous fire trucks and ambulances can be seen at the shore, as personnel set up emergency stations.
The four boats were carrying a total of 84 people along the Wu River when a rain and hail storm suddenly broke out, flipping the boats over and pushing all passengers on board into the water. Four of the passengers managed to get to shore unharmed.
Initial reports said that only two boats had capsized, but state media later reported that there were four vessels involved.
The mountains and rivers in Guizhou are known tourist destinations and Sunday marked the end of a five-day holiday in China, where many people were travelling around the country.
The identities of the passengers on board the boats have not yet been revealed, but it has been described as a tourist excursion.
Shortly after the incident, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged all-out efforts to search for those who had fallen into the water and treat those who were injured.
Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing, a member of the Chinese Communist Party's politburo, is reportedly leading these relief efforts at the site.
In his remarks, Xi also noted that there have been several incidents recently and urged local authorities and relevant departments to learn lessons going forward.
His administration has made efforts to improve the safety of the country's transportation sector, but poorly maintained machines, overloading and a lack of equipment have continued to lead to accidents, particularly during major holidays.
In February, another serious boating accident occurred when 11 people were killed after a passenger boat collided with an oil spill cleaning ship and capsized in central Hunan province.
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