Nine people were killed including two children when a vessel carrying sand rammed into a passenger boat Monday afternoon at a ferry in Longhui County of Shaoyang City, Hunan Province, local police said Tuesday.

The tragedy took place at around 3:10 PM on Monday when the sand boat, driven by an unlicensed owner, ran into the passenger boat that was about to berth at the ferry of Huanghuazhou Village, Taohong Township.

There were 33 people aboard the passenger boat, including four children, and there was only the owner on the sand boat.

Twenty-five people were rescued and the dead included two children.

The owners of both boats have been detained by the police.

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2005)