Rescuers go all out following bus plunge in Chongqing

A bus with a dozen passengers onboard suddenly veered onto the wrong side of the road and collided into a private car before plunging into the Yangtze River in Chongqing on Sunday, local police said.

Rescuers search victims after a bus plunged into the Yangtze River from a bridge in Chongqing on Sunday, October 28, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

Police said more than 10 people, including the driver, were on the bus when it broke through road fencing and drove off a bridge at 10:08 a.m. in Chongqing's Wanzhou District.

Two bodies had been retrieved from the river as of 8 p.m. and the rescue work is still ongoing. Over 20 rescue boats have arrived to carry out salvage operations.

According to a preliminary investigation, the bus crossed over the line marking the center of the bridge and crashed into the car that was driving normally on the other side.

The private car driver is being treated in hospital and is under police watch.

The bridge, named Second Yangtze River Bridge of Wanzhou, is a two-way, four-lane bridge with an overall width of 20 meters. Xinhua reporters saw the fence breach is at the middle of the bridge.

A police officer on duty said the sinking spot of the bus happened to be the deepest area in the river.

Based on on-site technical analysis, rescuers located the sinking area of the bus and estimated that the bus sank about 68 meters under water. Several frogmen stood ready to dive.

However, due to complex underwater situations, an underwater robot equipped with high-definition cameras was forced to return to surface after diving about 30 meters at evening time.

Ministries of emergency management, public security and transport have dispatched working teams to oversee the rescue work. A rescue force consisted of people from departments including maritime affairs, fire control, armed police and Yangtze River shipping management has been set up at the scene.

While the identities of the two bodies are being verified, the city government has organized community workers to interview neighborhoods to find out identities of possible victims.

The bus was No. 22 from Jiangnan New District of Wanzhou to Beibin Road.