GUANGZHOU, April 23 (Xinhua) -- A vessel on Monday night collided with a bridge in the city of Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, resulting in four people going missing.
A preliminary investigation suggests that the accident may have been caused by incorrect operation of the vessel due to the influence of flooding from an upstream river, local authorities said on Tuesday.
The ship, carrying over 4,900 tonnes of rolled steel, was traveling from Fuzhou, Fujian Province to the city of Heshan, Guangdong on Monday night. The vessel, which had a crew of 11 people, collided with the base of a pillar of the Jiujiang Bridge at 9:20 p.m. and the cargo hold started taking on water. The ship later ran aground and finally sank at around 11:40 p.m.
Seven of the crew members were rescued, while the other four remain missing, according to the city's emergency management department.
As of 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, the local government had coordinated maritime, fishery and social rescue forces in dispatching 32 vessels and more than 400 personnel to participate in search and rescue efforts.
Further investigation of the incident is underway.
Experts quickly conducted a preliminary assessment of the bridge and found no obvious damage to the main structure. However, there were abrasions on the pillar -- requiring further safety assessments. ■
