At least three people dead after Chinese tourist boats capsize during storm

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers carrying out search and rescue operation at the site where two passenger boats capsized in Qianxi City (Xinhua/AP)

Two tourist boats carrying roughly 70 people between them 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.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers carry out a search and rescue operation at the site (Liu Xu/Xinhua/AP)

The boats capsized on Sunday afternoon after a sudden rain and hailstorm and strong winds hit the Wu, a tributary of the Yangtze, China’s 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.

Mr 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.

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