Chongqing Bus Accident: Vehicle raised out of Yangtze River days after deadly crash

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02:08

The search and rescue operation of a bus crash in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has come to an end. Rescuers on Wednesday night salvaged the bus that plunged into the Yangtze River. A previous investigation said that 15 people including the driver were on board. Nine bodies have been retrieved so far. Meng Qingsheng reports.

After an intense recovery operation, the public bus finally comes out of water.

MENG QINGSHENG WANZHOU DISTRICT, CHONGQING "The bus is being lifted out of the water after sinking about 70 meters into the Yangtze River. Unfortunately, no one on board the vehicle survived the accident. Investigations continue as authorities try to learn more about this tragedy."

Rescue started shortly after the accident, searching for those still trapped inside.

Floating cranes gathered from different parts of China to facilitate the rescue operation.

HONG YU, DEPUTY DIRECTOR MINISTRY OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT "We prioritize searching for those trapped inside the sunken bus first. And only after that can we start raising the bus out. Each life deserves respect."

About 20 divers took turns reaching the bottom of the river.

They had to overcome strong undercurrent and harsh underwater working conditions.

HE JIANPING, DEPUTY HEAD RESCUE COMMAND CENTER "The divers worked under low visibility. They can only work underwater for about 35 minutes. And it's a laborious job to tie the bus with cables. It's a challenge for them."

Cameras installed on other vehicles show that the bus veered across the median of the four-lane bridge into oncoming traffic.

That's when it collided with a car, sending the bus over the bridge railing and into the river.

Authorities are now looking into what caused the bus to swerve off course, leading to the deadly accident.

They have also collected DNA and blood samples from victims' families to help confirm their identities.

Meng Qingsheng, CGTN, Chongqing.