Nine people have been confirmed missing and four vehicles have fallen into the river after part of the structure of a bridge in south China's Guangdong Province collapsed when it was hit by a boat on Friday.

A general view shows collapsed section of the Jiujiang Bridge after being hit by a sand-laden boat in south China's Guangdong province June 15, 2007. The mile-long Chinese road bridge packed with cars and trucks collapsed early on Friday after being hit by a boat laden with sand, Chinese and Hong Kong news reports said, leaving part of the highway leading directly into the sea.[Reuters]

The nine missing include seven people aboard four vehicles that were all bearing Guangdong plates and two construction workers who had been working on the bridge when it collapsed.

The local Foshan Daily reports relatives of the drivers and passengers of the missing vehicles have already been contacted.

According to a statement from Guangdong provincial government, the boat laden with sand had broken traffic regulations when it navigated out of the main channel and hit the bridge at about 5:10 a.m. in Foshan City on Friday.

All 10 crew members were rescued, and two injured crewmen have left hospital after being treated for bruises, an official with the local police said.

At a press conference on Saturday morning, the Guangdong maritime bureau said it had sent a rescue ship with advanced equipment to the site to carry out salvage work. The bureau has also set up an investigation team to question the crew, who have been put under police surveillance.