A rescue vessel tries to put out fire emerging from an oil tanker after it collided with a cargo ship near the Yangtze River estuary, Aug. 20, 2020. Three had been rescued and 14 others went missing after an oil tanker collided with a cargo ship about 1.5 nautical miles southeast of the Yangtze River estuary early Thursday, according to the maritime authorities in Shanghai. The accident occurred at 3: 39 a.m. Thursday, when an oil tanker carrying about 3,000 tonnes of gasoline collided with a cargo ship loaded with sand and gravel, causing a fire on the deck of the oil tanker and the latter to sink. (Donghai Rescue Bureau/Handout via Xinhua)

Nine people have been confirmed dead and five are still missing after a gravel boat and petrol tanker collided near the Yangtze River Estuary in Shanghai during the early hours of Aug 20, the China Ministry of Transport announced on Thursday.

The gravel boat, a river boat that sank in the accident, used fake plates to avoid surveillance and engage in illegal maritime transportation.

It is extremely dangerous for river boats to carry out maritime transportation illegally as it can easily result in water traffic accidents, Sun Wenjian, spokesperson of the Ministry, said at a press conference held on Thursday.

The accident occurred at 3:39 am on August 20 and resulted in a fire on the deck of the petrol tanker, which has since been towed to anchorage.

It also put the 17 people on board in danger. Three people were saved in the large-scale search and rescue operation that followed.

As of 10 am on August 24, the search and rescue operation had lasted more than 100 hours, while the cumulative searched water area amounted to approximately 4,000 square kilometers.

The investigation into the cause of the incident is still underway. The authority said it will ensure further efforts are made to crack down on river boats illegally engaging in maritime transportation.