CHENGDU - At least seven people were killed after a minibus plunged into a river in southwest China's Sichuan Province, local authorities said Tuesday.

The minibus, heading toward the county of Yajiang with an unknown number of construction workers on board, was out of touch Monday night and found plunged into the Yalong River, 40 km away from the county Tuesday morning, said a spokesman with the provincial safety supervisory bureau.

By Tuesday afternoon, rescuers had found seven bodies and were still searching for the missing, said the spokesman.

The time of the accident and the number of the missing are still unknown.

The cause of the accident is being investigated.