Rescue efforts for five people who were missing on Monday morning after a barge capsized in Chongqing were slowed by heavy rain and flooding, maritime authorities said.

"Rescuers are still searching for those missing, but the strong floods today are affecting rescue work," Wu Mulin, spokesman for the Changjiang Maritime Safety Administration, told China Daily.

According to the weather forecast published by the Chongqing Meteorological Bureau at 4 pm on Monday, torrential rains were expected to continue in some areas of the city through Monday night.

Because of heavy rain on Sunday, the water level of the Jialing River, which runs through Chongqing, had risen more than 10 meters.

Strong flooding broke the cable securing the barge at about 11 am on Monday, and the vessel capsized as it washed away from shore, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Eighteen people on board fell into the water, including 17 employees of a local shipping company that owns the barge and a child of one of the employees.

Rescuers saved 13 of them soon after the vessel capsized and the ship was secured around 1 pm. But the other five, including the child, were still missing Monday evening.

It is unclear that how badly those saved are injured, according to Wu.

Contact the writers at houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn and luowangshu@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 07/02/2013 page6)