“A sudden gust of wind hit the river”: 10 dead and 70 injured in China after the sinking of two boats carrying tourists

Ten people were killed and 70 hospitalized after the sinking of two boats carrying tourists on a southwest river of China, according to a new assessment published Monday May 5 by the official media.

A previous assessment reported nine dead and 70 injured.

The two boats capsized Sunday afternoon in a river near the city of Qianxi, in the province of Guizhou, and 84 passengers fell into the water, according to state television CCTV.

On Monday afternoon, official media reported ten dead, 70 hospitalized injured. Four people were rescued without the need to be hospitalized.

The body of a person initially missing disappeared was found on Monday around noon by the emergency services, said the CCTV.

“According to the accident command center, a sudden gust of wind hit the Liuguang river in a picturesque local area around 4:40 pm, causing the capsage of the boats and throwing 84 passengers in the water,” reports China Daily.

Still according to the Chinese daily life, four boats in all were shipwrecked, the investigators confirming that two of the boats, each certified to transport 40 passengers, operated at full capacity, while the other two were moored in the quay and empty.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, quoted by the news agency China Nouvelle, “stressed the importance of strengthening security measures” in tourist activities.

Deputy Prime Minister, Zhang Guoqing, was sent on the spot to supervise rescue operations, the official media said.

The boats were not overloaded with passengers, said CCTV, citing an investigation.

This accident occurs a little more than two months after the death of 11 people in the province of Hunan (center), in the collision between a boat transporting passengers and another specialized in cleaning traces of hydrocarbon.