Huge fire occurred aboard a Chinese passenger ship, Sunday, in the Yangtze River in Zhongxian County of Chongqing Municipality in southwest China.

All 262 persons on the ship were rescued and transferred to safety, and the six injured during the accident were sent to local hospitals to receive emergency treatment.

At 11:20 a.m. the fire broke out while the ship was berthing at the southern bank of the river, China's longest.

So far, the boat is still on fire, with the three-story cabin completely destroyed.

Work is being done around-the-clock to put out the blaze and the reason for the fire is still under investigation.

(People's Daily 07/16/2001)