The ship-owner of the motor vessel that capsized on the Yangtze River Thursday has been detained while eight people remain missing, local Chongqing police said Friday.

Yan Meizhong, the ship-owner of the newly-purchased vessel, was detained for illegally running business without any license. Police said he must be held responsible for the capsize.

The motor vessel with a full load of sand and nine people aboard capsized early Thursday morning while sailing on the Yangtze River section in Zhongxian County of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Only one person got rescued timely.

By press time, eight victims, a captain, an engineer of turbine and six other people, are still missing. The range of rescuing work has extended to a 25 km-radius from the site of accident to lower streams of the Yangtze River.

The capsized vessel has been pulled onto the river bank, awaiting a salvage. A rescue operation and probe into the cause of the tragedy is underway.

(Xinhua News Agency November 26, 2005)