21 dead, 1 still missing after boat sinks in China’s Yangtze river: Reports

SINGAPORE — A total of 21, out of 25, people on board a tugboat that sank in China’s Yangtze River Thursday (Jan 15) have died, reported Chinese media this morning (Jan 17), citing local authorities.

One individual is still missing, reported China Radio International. Three people, all Chinese nationals, were rescued earlier.

Four Singaporeans were on board the vessel, confirmed Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday. Two were employees of Sembcorp Marine. The People's Daily Online identified the four Singaporeans as Quah Shihong, Baginda Ali bin Zainul Abidin, Chung Wai Kian Bernard and Lim You Tsern.

Xinhua news agency reports that at around 6.30am today, rescuers lifted the capsized boat to the surface of the water. Reuters this morning also had images of rescue workers carrying bodies out of the vessel.

The boat, JMS Delta, was a Singapore-registered vessel made in China last October. China media quoted the provincial government as saying that the boat had been undergoing trials without notifying the authorities, and without first reporting the condition of the vessel.

The ship's owner, parts suppliers and engineers were among the 25 people aboard for the test, including an Indian, an Indonesian, a Japanese and a Malaysian.

Sources: China Radio International, Xinhua, People's Daily Online, Reuters