(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-04-14 07:14

LANZHOU -- Seven workers drowned after their boat capsized in the lake of a wetland park in the northwestern Gansu Province on Sunday.

The accident happened at 9:55 a.m. in the park which was under construction on the outskirts of Ganzhou District of Zhangye City, said Wang Chaohua, an official of the city's government.

Rescuers rushed to the scene at 10:11 a.m. and got them out of water by 11:20. But all of them died later in hospital.

The seven workers, two women and five men, had intended to plant trees on the island in the middle of the lake, but none of them could steer the boat properly or swim, Wang said.

The compensation for the victims' families has begun, Wang added.

Construction on the wetland park started in 2006. The lake covers an area of 44.3 hectares.