Two cargo ships collided on Friday night on the upper reach near the Three Gorges Dam and ten sailors were rescued.

Rescuers said the whereabouts of seven other sailors are still unknown.

According to the Three Gorges navigation administration, the collision took place at 10:35 PM near Quxikou in central China's Hubei Province, or about seven kilometers from the Three Gorges Dam.

One cargo ship capsized on the spot after the collision.

The city government of Yichang organized an emergency rescue team, headed by deputy mayor Hu Jiafa and comprised of five squads.

The administration deployed two rescue ships, together with other fishing ships on the nearby waters in search of the missing sailors.

As of Saturday morning, ten people were found and rescued, and all were given food, clothing and necessary medical treatment.

The ten people are sailors and cargo owners on the ship, said an official with the local government, adding that three of them were slightly injured and are treated in a medical center in the county of Zigui.

The collision does not affect the normal traffic on the Yangtze River near the Three Gorges, and investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

(Xinhua News Agency October 14, 2006)