Boats collide on river in southern China, killing at least 11 people

BEIJING — A small ferry was hit by an oil spill cleaning vessel on a river in southern China, state media said on Friday night, killing 11 people while five more are missing.

Nineteen people fell overboard during the crash on the Yuanshui River in Hunan province on Tuesday morning, and three were rescued the same day, according to the country’s official news agency Xinhua.

The accident happened at a point where the river is more than 60 meters (200 feet) deep, on average, and 500 meters (1,600 feet) wide.

Rescue teams salvaged the ferry on Friday night, according to Xinhua, and are continuing the search.

One person who was rescued escaped the ferry by breaking a window with his foot, a relative told The Paper, a Shanghai-based newspaper.

The relative also said the ferry is the main way for people to come and go from their village.

A video obtained by The Paper showed the much larger oil spill cleaning vessel hitting the ferry from behind in calm water.

China News Agency said on Wednesday the three people on the larger boat, none of whom injured, were placed under investigation by police after it their boat reached shore safely.

There was no immediate word on how the accident happened, and phone calls to the local government went unanswered on a Saturday morning.