A 1,181-ton ship carrying 11 crew and a shipment of sand capsized and sank at 2:42 a.m. on Wednesday in the Guangzhou section of the river.

Two sailors were rescued on Wednesday. The captain, Shi Yuede, fled the ship before it sank and also survived the accident.

But Shi didn't show up until Thursday, when he told investigators he had jumped into the water in panic. He's under investigation at the provincial maritime bureau.

The sunken ship was retrieved two and a half hours after the accident.

The ship owner has committed to compensate all the victims in line with their insurance policies and relevant laws. The ship and all its crew members have commercial insurance against shipwrecks.

The accident occurred when the ship tried to turn around in a fast-flowing section of the river, according to the south China rescue administration of the Ministry of Communications.