- विज्ञापन -
Beijing: Nine people have died, one remains missing, and 70 others have been injured after four tourist boats capsized due to sudden gales on a river in Qianxi, southwestern China’s Guizhou province, according to state media reports.
The accident occurred on Sunday afternoon, with 84 individuals falling into the water. Search operations for the missing person are ongoing.
Tourists present at the scene described an abrupt weather change, with a heavy rainstorm accompanied by hail, thunder, and strong winds. The local meteorological authority had issued a yellow alert earlier that day, warning of thunderstorms across multiple areas.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for immediate efforts to locate those in the water and to provide medical assistance to the injured. Nearly 500 emergency responders, including police, firefighters, and medical teams, have been mobilized to assist in rescue operations, as reported by Xinhua News Agency.
Eyewitnesses noted a sudden shift in weather conditions, with intense rainfall and fog over the water surface. This incident follows a similar tragedy in December when eight people died after a boat capsized in Guizhou.
In a related incident, a helicopter crashed in Wuzhong district, Suzhou, Jiangsu province, on Friday due to poor weather. The crash resulted in one fatality and four injuries. The helicopter fell from about 10 meters while returning to Wuzhong airspace; the person on the ground was killed, and four onboard personnel were injured, according to the local emergency bureau.
Earlier this year, eleven people died and five went missing after a passenger boat collided with an oil waste recovery vessel in Hunan Province. The incident on the Yuanshui River in Yuanling County caused 19 people to fall overboard, with three rescued.
