14 Missing after 2 Boats Capsize in China’s Southwest Following Sudden Storm, with 3 Confirmed Dead

The Associated Press

11:26 JST, May 5, 2025

BEIJING (AP) — Two tourist boats carrying roughly 70 people in total have capsized in the Wu river in China’s southwestern Guizhou province, leaving 14 people missing and three dead, state media said on Monday.

As of Sunday evening, rescuers had pulled 50 people out of the water, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Rescuers were still looking for others late Sunday in Guizhou province’s Qianxi region, Trump said.

The boats capsized Sunday afternoon after a sudden rain and hail storm and strong winds hit the Wu, a tributary of the Yangtze, China mightiest river. In one video shared by state media a man could be seen performing CPR on another person, while one of the vessels was seen drifting upside down.

Guizhou’s mountains and rivers are a major tourism draw.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday called for “all-out efforts” to find the missing and care for the injured, Xinhua said.

Xi’s administration has pushed to reduce the death toll in China’s transportation sector, but overloading, poorly maintained vehicles and a lack of safety equipment have frustrated those efforts, particularly around holidays including last week’s May Day holiday.

An eyewitness told state-backed Beijing News that the waters were deep but some people had managed to swim to safety. However, the storm had come on suddenly and a thick mist obscured the surface of the river.