A ferry carrying passengers and two trucks loaded with ore sank
on Wednesday afternoon in Pinglu County, north China's Shanxi
Province.
Three people have been rescued but four were still missing
according to the most recent reports.
Eyewitnesses said that the ship had barely left Qianyao dock on
the Yellow River when it began to sink at around 4:00 PM. It was
out of sight in a very short time.
Local government agencies rushed to the scene to begin rescue
operations.
The accident is still under investigation, but local police
speculated that overloading and improper handling may turn out to
have been the cause.
(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2005)