GUANGZHOU -- Rescuers have found six bodies of crew members from a ship that sank in south China's Pearl River early on Wednesday, but three others are still missing.

The 1,181-ton ship, with 11 sailors aboard and a shipment of sand, capsized and sank at 2:42 a.m. in the Guangzhou section of the river and all 11 crew members fell overboard.

Rescuers from the local maritime affairs bureau and salvage departments rushed to the scene and two people were rescued at 3 a.m.

The sunken ship was pulled out of the river about two and a half hours later.

The accident occurred when the ship tried to turn around in a fast-flowing section of the river, according to the south China rescue administration of the Ministry of Communications.

Rescuers are still searching for the three missing.