Three dead and 14 missing after two boats capsize during sudden storm in China

Four boats capsized in a sudden storm on a river in southwestern China,leaving nine dead and one missing.

Two ships went under after sudden rain,a hail storm and strong winds hit the Wu River in the southwestern Guizhou province on Sunday afternoon.

Fifty people,including passengers and crew,were dragged to safety by rescue teams.

More than 80 people fell into the Wu River when strong winds hit the scenic area in Guizhou province on Sunday afternoon,state broadcaster CCTV said.

Initial reports said two tourist boats had capsized,but CCTV and the official Xinhua News Agency said on Monday that four boats were involved.

It was not clear if any of the victims were on the other two boats.

The incident followed a sudden storm and strong winds on the river

248 firefighters,16 underwater robots,and 24 boats were all dispatched to the river,according to Guizhou Provincial Fire Rescue Corps.

A number of people in the river also managed to swim to safety,according to eyewitnesses speaking to state-backed Beijing News.

Guizhou’s mountains and rivers are a major tourism draw,and many Chinese people are travelling during a five-day national holiday which was ending on Monday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for ‘all-out efforts’ to find the missing and care for the injured.

Mr Xi’s administration has pushed to reduce the death toll in China’s transportation sector,but overloading,poorly maintained vehicles and a lack of safety equipment have frustrated those efforts,particularly during major holidays.

CCTV said two of the capsized boats each had about 40 people on board and were not overloaded.

The disaster unfolded at the scenic spot as tourists were out celebrating a five day public holiday in China for May Day,from May 1 to May 5.

Video footage captured by onlookers shows the underside of one of the capsized ships.

A man can also be seen performing CPR on another person lying on the boat.