Eighteen crew members of a ship were rescued shortly before their vessel sank in the Yangtze River after hitting a bridge pier, local maritime authorities said Sunday.

Marks by rubbing is seen on a pier of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, May 12, 2013. A cargo vessel, loaded with 12,500 tons of limestone, sunk after rubbing against a pier of the bridge on Sunday. A total of 18 sailors on board were all saved. [Photo/Xinhua]

The vessel, "Xinchuan 8," was transporting 12,500 tonnes of limestone from Tongling in east China's Anhui Province to Luoyuan, a coastal county in southeast China's Fujian Province, when the accident happened at around 4:20 a.m., according to sources with Nanjing Maritime Bureau.

The ship collided with one of the piers of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge when it was trying to pass through.

The vessel, belonging to Rushan Xinchuan Shipping and Transportation Co., Ltd., was damaged in the collision and water began to leak in.

The Nanjing municipal maritime relief center sent a rescue team to the scene, and all 18 crew members were taken to safety by 4:55 a.m.

The ship sank at around 5 a.m. some 3.5 km away from the bridge.

Maritime authorities in Nanjing are organizing the salvage of the ship. An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

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