Nine people were killed when a ferry capsized after colliding with a cargo boat in south China's Guangdong Province on Saturday, sources with the local police said on Sunday.

The accident occurred when a ferry carrying 14 passengers and two crew collided with a cargo boat fully loaded with sand and stones and running at a high speed in the watercourse in Humen Township, Dongguan City.

Seven people were rescued. The bodies of the nine who died have been recovered.

The city government assigned three teams to identify the victims and handle other matters, including payment of compensation and extending condolences to families of the deceased.

Six of the victims were residents of Humen, and the other three were from Hunan Province. Owners of both the ferry and the cargo boat have been detained, but the preliminary investigation indicates that the ferry was licensed and was not overloaded.

(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn January 17, 2005)