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Two people were killed, one was injured and three others went missing after a cargo ship hit a bridge in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, resulting in the collapse of the structure’s portion and sending five vehicles, including a bus, plunging into the river.

The ship was coming from Foshan and travelling towards Guangzhou when it rammed Lixinsha Bridge in Guangzhou. The vessel was not carrying any cargo, state media reported.

Authorities said only a bus was on the bridge when the incident occurred at 5:30 am (local time).

Visuals on state-run broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) showed the cargo ship trapped underneath the broken section of the bridge.

The ship’s captain has been detained and people living in the vicinity were evacuated to safer zones, district authorities were quoted by Beijing News as saying.

The Lixinsha Bridge was to be upgraded and renovated, but such plans have been postponed thrice, according to CCTV.

Provincial authorities in October 2021 called for the need to construct “collision avoidance facilities” to strengthen the bridge’s structural safety.

Construction was set to be completed in September 2022, but the deadline was extended first to August 2023 and then to August 2024.

In July 2019, the bridge sustained damages to its box girder, following which district authorities imposed restrictions to restrict vehicles with a total weight of 15 tons or more from using the bridge, The Global Times reported.

A year later, in July 2020, the restrictions were lifted after authorities said repair and reinforcement works were completed. Vehicles weighing 20 tons were then allowed to use the bridge.