Death toll rises to 2 from central China boat accident Wreckers tie the sunken boat in the Yuanjiang River in Luxi County, central Ch...

Death toll rises to 2 from central China boat accident

Wreckers tie the sunken boat in the Yuanjiang River in Luxi County, central China's Hunan Province, May 28, 2012. Two people have been confirmed dead and nine were still missing in a passenger vessel sinking accident, which occurred in the Yuanjiang River in Luxi County on May 27. At the time of the accident, 25 people were on board, and 14 of them have been saved. (Xinhua/Zhou Mian)

CHANGSHA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a boat accident in Hunan province rose to two on Monday, while nine other people are still missing.

The body was found at 1:50 p.m. near the capsized boat by rescuers, in Yuanjiang River in Luxi county, rescuers said.

Twenty-five passengers fell into the river after their uncontrolled boat hit a freighter and capsized. Rescuers have saved 14 of the passengers. There are still nine people missing and two bodies have been recovered, said Shi Zelong, deputy Communist Party chief of Luxi county.

Shi, the leader of the rescue operation, said he has sent people to comb the river bank to search for the missing. He has also dispatched divers to salvage the sunken vessel.

Investigators said the boat experienced engine failure while traveling from Luxi to neighboring Chenxi county and went adrift.

The accident occurred at about 10 a.m. Sunday in Yuanjiang River, a tributary of China's longest river, the Yangtze.

The passengers were all from Dawan village in Chenxi county.

More than 500 rescuers are searching for the missing passengers with the help of 22 boats.