Searchers looking for 22 people after tugboat sinks on Yangtze River

World Today

In this photo released by China’s XInhua News Agency, rescuers salvage the wreck after a tug boat sank in the Yangtze River in east China’s Jiangsu Province, Friday, Jan. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Shen Peng)

Chinese authorities are working to rescue passengers aboard a tugboat that sank on the Yangtze River in east China’s Jiangsu Province on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Friday.

Rescuers cut through the bottom of an upended tugboat Friday to free a Chinese interpreter and search for 22 more missing people, including eight foreigners after the vessel capsized, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said. So far three passengers have been saved.

Eight foreigners, including four Singaporeans, and other four victims from India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan, are believed to be among the 25 passengers when the boat sank on the Yangtze River at about 3 p.m. Thursday local time, authorities said.

Hog said the tugboat was upended and sank at the Zhangjiagang due to “mis-operation”.

Several rescue ships have been deployed to the site.

Report complied with information from CCTV News and The Associated Press