More than 10 on Chongqing bus that plunged into Yangtze: Police

Officials estimate that over 10 people were on board the bus that collided with a car on a bridge in Southwest China's Chongqing and plunged into the Yangtze River on Sunday morning, according to a statement released by local police on Sunday afternoon.

Two bodies have been recovered as of 6 pm, and the bridge is closed to traffic except for rescue vehicles.

According to the police, initial on-site investigation showed that at 10:08 am, the bus, identified as a No 22 public bus, abruptly swerved when crossing the Second Yangtze River Bridge in Chongqing's Wanzhou district. It stepped over the central line that separates vehicles running in opposite directions and rammed into a red sedan in another lane.

The bus then hit the pavement, broke through the guardrail and careened into the river.

The estimated number of passengers is based on inquiries and footage from surveillance cameras along the bus route.

Earlier media reports incorrectly said the car was driving in the wrong direction.

Kuang, the driver and the only person in the sedan, was taken to a hospital by police to treat soft tissue injuries suffered in the collision. The bus's driver, surnamed Ran, is believed to have plunged over the bridge in the bus and is still missing, district police said.

A rescue officer on site was quoted by a local news portal as saying that the bridge crash site is more than 50 meters above the river, and the bus had sunk to the bottom of the river, which estimated to be about 65 meters deep.

In addition to rescue efforts by the local public security authority, armed police and firefighting teams, the Ministry of Emergency Management has dispatched 11 professional divers and one medical worker capable of deep diving, as well as a salvage boat to assist rescue operations.