Four Dead, Eight Missing After Ship Wreck in East China

Four people died and another eight people are missing after a cargo ship wreck that took place on the waters near Zhenhai of Ningbo Port City, east China's Zhejiang Province, early Thursday morning.

The accident is believed to have been caused by He Xinguo, a private cargo ship owner who violated regulations by carrying passengers and took a risk by driving his small ship against fresh gale winds on the sea from Jintang to Zhenhai around 6:30 Thursday morning.

When the ship reached the estuary of Yongjiang river, Ningbo, around 7:00 am Thursday, powerful waves caused the ship to capsize and it completely sank five minutes later.

All 17 people aboard the ship including, the cargo ship owner and the 16 other passengers, were thrown into the sea. After the accident, only five of the people on board, including the ship owner swam to shore with the help of a few floating devices on the ship, said local sources.

After the accident, relevant local organizations began search efforts, but only four dead bodies were found.

Zhejiang Provincial Government set up a joint investigation group that was dispatched to Ningbo Thursday evening.

Search efforts for those people missing are still going on, without any positive news so far, said local sources.






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