The 15 victims in the overloaded fishing boat that sunk in east China's Jiangxi Province have been buried after the local government's concluded its investigation of the accident, local authorities said Friday.

The boat, with a carrying capacity of 10 people, ferried 44 people and sank in Sanjiang River in Nanchang County at 5:30 p.m. last Friday. Rescuers saved 29 of the passengers in dense fog, but another 15 drowned. Most of the victims were elderly people and women.

The local police confirmed that the accident was caused by the boat owner's negligence in adhering to the carrying capacity of the craft. He is being held in criminal detention.

Head of the provincial public security administration, Shu Xiaoqin, said that all the passengers were employed by private businessmen to cross the river by boat to pick up chufa, a water chestnut.

Nanchang County officials visited the victims' families and offered them free legal aid as well as relief funds.

Local people and officials have already donated 70,000 yuan (about 10,240 U.S. dollars) to the victims' families. The local charity federation has launched a donation campaign across the county.

(Xinhua News Agency December 27, 2008)