12 missing in accident

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Rescuers are still searching for 12 people after a ferry sank in the Yangtze River in Anhui province on Thursday.

Rescuers comprising maritime workers, armed police and hospital staff are working round-the-clock with the help of dozens of boats after nine people were rescued in the accident, which happened at 1:40 am in Maanshan city while the ferry was en route to Hexian county, according to a news release from the Maanshan Information Office.

The ferry route has been suspended and the cause of the accident is still under investigation, the release said.

The initial investigation shows that the ferry, which had 14 parking spaces, was carrying eight vehicles and two motorbikes when the accident happened, the release said.

Two salvage boats had arrived at the site of the accident, which is at the center of the river, on Thursday afternoon, and started to get the ferry out of water, according to the city's publicity department.

Witnesses said that the weather was fine when the accident happened, and only this ferry was on the route, ruling out the possibility of a collision, according to a report on China Central Television.

"I hope the bridge across the Yangtze River can be completed as soon as possible," said a netizen named Sky on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like micro blog service.

Construction on the bridge, spanning 11 kilometers across the Yangtze River in Maanshan, started in 2008 and is expected to be open by the end of next year.

Questions:

1. How many people are missing?

2. What time did the accident happen?

3. When did building start on the bridge?

Answers:

1. 12.

2. 1:40 am.

3. 2008.

（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.