The boat was designed to carry up to 40 people, but authorities are still checking the exact number of passengers, who are mostly believed to be students. 

Till Sunday morning 40 people were rescued from the river, with 31 in non-life-threatening conditions, and nine died after being rescued, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. 

Five others are still missing. 

A total of 17 rescue teams and 50 boats have been dispatched to join the search and rescue operation, and an investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.