Two ships capsized in strong winds, leaving seven people missing on a river in central China's Hubei province on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The accidents happened as thunderstorms and strong winds blasted Zhijiang, of Yichang city in Hubei Province, at 6:20 p. m., local officials said.

Sixteen people fell overboard from the two passenger ships on the Changjiang River. Nine were saved, but the other seven were still missing, local officials said.

The winds blew over telegraph poles in downtown Zhijiang, causing a blackout across the city, an official said.

The search for the missing is still underway and the local government is working on resuming the electricity supply.

(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2008)