Beijing, Feb 22 : Five people were killed after a cargo ship rammed into a bridge, leading to collapse of a portion of the structure on Thursday morning in China's Guangdong province

The victims included driver of a bus without passengers, a motorbike rider and three people who were in vehicles that fell into the river under the bridge, Xinhua news agency reported.

The accident happened occurred around 5.30 a.m. when the container ship hit the pier of the Lixinsha Bridge in Nansha District.

Five vehicles, including a motorbike, were involved in the accident. Two of the vehicles plunged into the river while the others fell onto the vessel, a preliminary investigation has found.

Three other people suffered injuries and were sent to hospital for treatment. Two of them fell from the bridge and sustained bone fractures and soft tissue contusions, and they are in stable condition, according to the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University.

/IANS