It is not known why the two dragon boats – seen here on the Taohua River – capsized. Photo: Chinatopix via AP
Source:
https://scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2142802/17-killed-after-2-dragon-boats-capsize-during-training-southern People & Culture
17 killed after 2 dragon boats capsize during training in southern China
Teams were practising for a race on the Taohua River in Guilin
Rescuers search the site of the boat accident on the Taohua River in Guilin on Saturday. Photo: Xinhua
Seventeen people were killed after two dragon boats capsized in southern China, authorities said on Sunday.
The boats were practising on Saturday for a race on the Taohua River in the city of Guilin when the accident happened, the fire department in the Guangxi capital said.
It was not immediately clear what had caused the boats to capsize.
The fire department said on its official Weibo social media account that search efforts had ended late on Saturday and 17 people had been confirmed dead.
A total of 60 people fell into the water.
The official Xinhua news agency said eight boats and more than 200 people had been deployed to the rescue.
Rescuers search for the missing paddlers on Saturday. Some 60 people fell into the water when the two boats capsized. Photo: Chinatopix via AP
Two organisers of the training session, from the village of Dunmu, were detained, Xinhua said.
China has sought to step up safety surrounding nationwide dragon boat racing during the annual festival, which falls near the summer solstice – this year it is on June 18 – and commemorates the death of the poet and minister Qu Yuan in the third century BC.