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The boats capsized after a sudden rain and hail storm on the
upper reaches of the Wu River, a tributary of the Yangtze,
China’s longest river. In one video shared by state media, a man
could be seen performing CPR on another person, while one of the
vessels drifted upside down.
Initial reports said two tourist boats had capsized, but state
media said on Monday that four boats were involved. The other
two boats had no passengers, and the seven crew members were
able to save themselves, CCTV said.
Guizhou’s mountains and rivers are a major tourism draw, and
many Chinese were traveling during a five-day national holiday
that ended Monday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to find
the missing and care for the injured, the official Xinhua News
Agency said on Sunday. Seventy people were sent to a hospital,
most with minor injuries.
Noting a recent series of fatal accidents, Xi underscored the
importance of strengthening safety at tourist attractions, large
public venues and residential communities, as well as for the
rush of people returning at the end of major holidays.
CCTV said the capsized boats had a maximum capacity of about 40
people each and were not overloaded.
An eyewitness told state-owned Beijing News the waters were deep
but that some people had managed to swim to safety. However, the
storm had come suddenly and a thick mist obscured the surface of
the river.
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