Beijing, June 08: At least 18 people, including 17 middle school students are missing after their ferry overturned in Jianhe county in southwest China's Guizhou province, official report said today. The accident occurred when an oil tube in the cabin caught fire, causing the engine to stall and the ferry to crash into the rocks along the shore, causing the ferry to capsize. Out of 59 students and two crewmen who plunged into the water after the accident, 42 students and one crewman have been saved, a news agency report said. China's Communications Minister Zhang Chunxian has rushed to the Shipwreck Salvage Centre to direct the rescue work.
Eight ships are continuing the search for the missing persons, the report said. Bureau Report