Rising wave kills eight in China
At least eight people were killed when a rising wave engulfed more than 30 swimmers and embankment walkers in eastern China, state media reported today.
Three of the 33 people who were swept away yesterday remained missing, including a nine-year-old child, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The rest were rescued, it said.
Authorities had recovered the bodies of five men and three women, Xinhua said.
It said rescue efforts were suspended today because of strong winds and thunderstorms in the area, with more foul weather forecast.
The Qiantang River in eastern China’s Zhejiang province has long attracted tourists for its waves, which are sometimes as high as 11 feet. Scientists attribute the waves to the river’s trumpet-shaped mouth.
The local government has hired people to patrol the river and warn of the incoming tides, but one “tide shouter” told Xinhua that visitors often ignored their warnings.
Xinhua said the deadliest accident on the river occurred on October 3, 1993 when 86 people were swept away. Nineteen bodies were recovered and 40 others were never found.
