The death toll from a ferry that capsized in Hunan Province's Shaoyang county has risen to 12, after the body of the last missing passenger was found on Sunday.

Relatives of the victims react on Sept 9, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

The body of Liu Qiu'e, a 48-year-old woman, was recovered about 5 kilometers downstream from where the ferry sank on Friday.

The ferry, which was carrying passengers returning home for the Mid-Autumn Festival across the Fuyi River, capsized and sank after it struck iron cables being used by a dredger.

As the ferry was charted by two schools in the township, most of the 50 passengers on board were students. Of the 12 victims, nine were students, a boy and eight girls aged between 7 and 15, the other three were middle-aged women. Another 38 people were rescued, 20 of whom were injured.

Eight of the students who died attended Tangtianshi township's only high school, which sacked a deputy schoolmaster and the security department head.

Three officials were also removed from their posts following the tragedy and the two ferryboat owners and the owner of the dredger are now in police custody.

Duan Shaoxing, deputy head of Shaoyang county, said that the families of those killed in the accident will each receive 200,000 yuan (US$31,300) in compensation and all 12 families have now signed the compensation agreement.

An investigation team headed by the provincial work safety authority has been formed and is now probing the accident, Duan added.

Overloading and disorderly digging by the dredger are thought to be to blame for the accident.

The ferry, 14.5-meters long and more than 2.3-m wide, was authorized to carry 14 passengers, but the county government has confirmed it was carrying 50 people on board when it sank.

And according to maritime officials, dredging on the river makes it dangerous for other boats.

Villagers said the county government did not take action against illegal dredging because some of the officials are stakeholders in the dredgers.

The last found victim, Liu Qiu'e, was a farmer and mother of four children. Her younger brother, surnamed Liu, was quoted as saying that: "She went to buy things in the town and returned home on the boat. But now she and we are two worlds apart."

Meanwhile, five high school students, aged between 13 and 14, are being hailed as heroes because of their efforts to save other children.

In the latest development, Duan said local authorities are planning to build a bridge across the Fuyi River.

The construction will cost an estimated 14 million yuan. The funding will come from three departments of the provincial government, he added.

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