Rescue contingency team searching for missing people in the waterway of Minhou County in Fujian. A ferry with headcount of 14 collides with a sand-loaded boat, the reason of the tragedy is still unknown.[Xinhua]

The accident happened around 10:30 a.m. Sunday in Nanyu township, Minhou County in Fujian, when a ferry with 14 people on board crashed into a boat used to carry sand on a tributary of the Minjiang River which runs through the province, said Song Youhua, deputy chief of the Nanyu township party committee.

Local rescue headquarters organized more than 30 boats and 100 people to rescue the eight survivors.

Song said there were no signs of overloading and both boats are licensed to operate on the river.

Local marine staffs are looking for the missing passengers and trying to hoist the sunken ferry.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.