Alwaght- Seventeen people have been drowned in southern China after two dragon boats overturned, authorities said on Sunday.
The boats were practicing to race on Taohua River in the city of Guilin when the accident happened, said the fire department of the city of Guilin, capital of Guangxi region.
Television pictures showed one of the long, narrow boats packed with paddlers going over on a stretch of the river where two flows of the river converge causing a powerful current.
Another dragon boat arrived at the scene, also full of paddlers, and it too capsized, the pictures showed. Most of those who went into the river were not wearing life jackets, CCTV broadcaster reported.
The official Xinhua news agency said 57 people had gone into the water and 200 rescuers were sent to help. The rescue effort went on late into the night.
Two people had been detained in connection with the accident, Xinhua said.
