NANPING, Fujian - Eleven people have been confirmed dead and four others are missing after a ferry sank on Wednesday on a river in East China's Fujian province, local authorities said on Thursday.

The search for the missing people is continuing after the ferry sank on the Minjiang River in Xiadao Township, Nanping City, around 9 am on Wednesday, according to sources with the Nanping municipal government.

The ferry sank soon after it was turned over by sudden high wind and heavy rainstorm.

The boat has been salvaged. And extreme weather has initially been confirmed as the cause of the accident, according to the city government.