7 dead after minivan plunges in SW China

GUIYANG - Seven people were confirmed dead on Tuesday and two others remained missing after a minivan fell into a reservoir in Southwest China's Guizhou province on Sunday, rescuers said.

Rescuers had pulled the wreckage ashore and retrieved seven bodies, including the bodies of two children, from the reservoir as of Tuesday, according to the rescue headquarters at the site.

The search for the two missing people is ongoing, the headquarters said.

The accident happened at about 2:40 pm on Sunday, when an eight-seat minivan carrying 15 passengers fell into the Shiqiaohe Reservoir in Pu'an county, according to the county government.

Six people, including the driver, have been rescued, while nine others were reported missing after the accident.

The bus was carrying people home from a local fair, and the driver, a teacher from a local middle school, is being interrogated for illegal operation, police said.

The reservoir is 20 meters deep and the water is murky -- factors that have increased the difficulty of the rescue work, local officials said.