The incident took place on the Wu River in China on Sunday, May 4
- Ten people reportedly died and 70 others were hospitalized after four tourist boats capsized on Sunday, May 4
- The boats were traveling on the Wu River in southwestern China
- Strong winds resulted in the boats turning upside down
At least 10 people died and 70 others were hospitalized this week after tourist boats turned upside down amid severe weather in southwestern China, multiple news outlets report.
According to the BBC, strong winds caused four tourist boats to capsize in the Wu River in Qianxi City in Guizhou on Sunday, May 4 — and 84 people fell into the water.
The BBC reported that the death toll increased from nine to 10 after the body of a missing person was found on Monday, May 5.
The incident occurred as China marked the end of its weeklong May Day holiday, which is a popular time of travel.
According to U.K. newspaper The Telegraph, more than 500 emergency responders, including police, firefighters and medical personnel, were deployed to carry out rescue operations.
The outlet reported that videos shared by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed fire trucks and ambulances at the shore of the Wu River.
PEOPLE has contacted the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) in China for comment.
According to NPR a video shared by state media showed a man performing CPR on another person after the incident, which came after sudden rain and a hailstorm,
According to the BBC, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged for there to be "all-out efforts" in the search and rescue operations.
He also emphasized the importance of strengthening safety measures, adding that similar accidents had recently taken place.
The outlet reported that 11 people died two months ago after a passenger boat struck an industrial vessel in China's Hunan province.
Authorities in China have also been told to improve their public safety measures during the popular tourist season, per the outlet.
