(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-08-03 19:56

HANGZHOU -- At least eight people were killed and three are missing after a rising tide swept away more than 30 people in east China's Zhejiang Province on Thursday.

Rescuers had retrieved the bodies of five men and three women by Friday afternoon, the public security bureau of Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang, said at a press conference.

The victims included a nine-year-old boy. No foreigners have been found among the victims or the missing so far, said Qi Yong, an officer with the maritime team under the bureau.

Rescue operation was forced to suspend Friday afternoon as strong wind and thunderstorm hit the river, said Qi. Local meteorological station has issued an alarm, forecasting thunderstorm, downpour and hail in the evening.

The death toll may increase after the search operation resumes and the number of missing will change if more people report missing family members or friends, according to Xie Liewei, a local government official.

A reception office has been set up to register more reports from family members.

Twenty-two people were rescued after the tidal bore swept away more than 30 people who were either swimming in the river or walking along a T-shaped levee near the mouth of the Qiantang River on the outskirts of Hangzhou.

The tides on the Qiantang are a peculiar phenomenon and always attract spectators. Scientists say that the trumpet-shaped mouth of the Qiantang River helps form the tidal change, which can be as high as 3.5 meters.

The accident took place on Thursday afternoon when the tide was approaching the coast at a normal speed of 15 kmh, which appeared "mild" watching from afar, said Zhou Guangming, a tide expert.

However, the power of the seemingly gentle tide reached up to four to seven tons per cubic meter, especially when it rushed into the trumpet-shaped levee.

Most of the victims and the missing were from other parts of China as local residents are fully aware of the danger of the tide and never risk their lives in the river, said Zhou.

Experts attribute the formation of powerful tidal currents in the river in recent years to the accumulation of silt rushed down by the Yangtze River, the change of the water course, the strong wind that always accompanies the tide and the floods upstream.

The worst tidal accident occurred on October 3, 1993, when the tidewater swept away 86 people from the levee, leaving 19 dead, 40 missing and 27 injured.

The local government has hired a group of local people to patrol the river and warn people of the danger of incoming tides.

Ren Baojin, an old man who has worked for about 10 years as a "tide shouter", said he and his workmates shouted out when the tide was approaching, but many people, especially those from other regions, often ignore the warning.

The local government has ordered round-the-clock patrols along the river and reinforcement of supervision at some dangerous sites. Warning signs will be erected to keep people away. It has also been suggested that all the levees along the river should be closed up, according to the public security bureau.