A bridge in Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, collapsed after being hit by a sand-laden boat, sources with the Foshan traffic police said Friday.

The accident occurred around 5:10 AM Friday when a sand-laden boat was sailing through under the bridge, which connects the Jiujiang Town in Nanhai district of Foshan to the neighboring Heshan City. The boat hit a pier of the bridge, and at least 150 meters of the bridge structure collapsed.

Ten crew were on the boat, and two were injured, an official with the local police said. "So far we don't know whether any vehicle fell into the river, but as the accident occurred at an early hour, there should not be too much traffic," he said.

The traffic police has sealed off the bridge and diverted all traffic to a neighboring highway.

The bridge, which is about 1,600 meters, runs over Xijiang, a major tributary of the Pearl River.

(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2007)