5 dead as ship hits bridge in south China

GUANGZHOU, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed after a ship hit a bridge and caused the bridge to fracture on Thursday morning in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province.

The victims include the driver of a bus without passengers, a motorbike rider and three people who were in vehicles that fell into the river under the bridge.

The accident happened at around 5:30 a.m. when a container ship hit the pier of the Lixinsha Bridge in Nansha District. Five vehicles, including a motorbike, were involved in the accident. Two of the vehicles plunged into the river while the others fell onto the vessel, a preliminary investigation has found.

Three other people suffered injuries and were sent to hospital for treatment. Two of them fell from the bridge and sustained bone fractures and soft tissue contusions, and they are in stable condition, according to the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University.