18 crew members of the ship were rescued shortly before their vessel sank in the Yangtze River after hitting a bridge pier.

Damage was visible on a pier of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province after the  cargo vessel, loaded with 12,500 tons of limestone, encountered it, reports the 'China Daily'.

The vessel, "Xinchuan 8" was transporting the limestone from Tongling in east China's Anhui Province to Luoyuan, a coastal county in southeast China's Fujian Province, when the accident happened adds the 'China Daily' citing sources in Nanjing Maritime Bureau.

The vessel, belonging to Rushan Xinchuan Shipping and Transportation Co., Ltd., sank  some 3.5 km from the bridge, after the Nanjing municipal maritime relief center rescue team had brought all 18 crew members to safety.

Source: China Daily