China: Three Ships Collide On Yangtze River, At Least 7 Missing

<p>HEFEI, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- At least seven people went missing after three ships collided in eastern China, local authorities said Friday.

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<p>The accident occurred on the Yangtze River in Wuhu City, Anhui Province on Friday morning, when three different vessels crashed into each other on the Baimao Waterway, the Yangtze River Maritime Department said, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

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<p>A total of twenty crew members fell into the river's waters from the three vessels, which included a tub boat carrying iron ore from central China's Henan Province and two cargo ships carrying steel products and limestone from Zhejiang Province and Jiangsu Province, respectively.

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<p>Authorities confirmed that thirteen of those crew members had been pulled out safely from the river, but seven others were still missing.

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<p>Search-and-rescue teams were deployed by China's Ministry of Transport. The cause of the incident was not immediately known, but investigations were also launched.

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