Nine dead, dozens injured after tourist boats capsize in China

At least nine people have died and 70 have been hospitalised after strong winds caused four tourist boats to capsize in southwestern China.

Sudden strong winds caused the boats to capsize in a river in Qianxi city in Guizhou on Sunday, leading 84 people to fall into the water, according to state media reports. More than a dozen people were missing, but all except one have now been rescued.

The incident occurred as China celebrated the tail end of its week-long May Day holiday, a peak season for travel.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping had earlier urged “all-out efforts” in the search and rescue.

President Xi noted that other similar accidents had taken place recently, and stressed the importance of strengthening safety measures, state media said.

Authorities in China have also been told to step up public safety measures over peak tourist season.

Sunday’s incident comes just two months after 11 people were killed in another accident, when a passenger boat struck an industrial vessel in China’s Hunan province.

Another accident occurred over the weekend in the eastern city of Suzhou, after a sightseeing helicopter crashed in a newly-opened park, killing one person and injuring four on board.