Three dead and five still missing after ship carrying 650 containers capsized and sank following a collision with another cargo vessel in China

• The collision occurred last night on the Yangtze River estuary near Shanghai
• The 12,788-tonne Chinese ship flipped after clashing with a foreign cargo boat
• Among the 16 people on the sank ship, eight were rescued alive and three died
• The other five crew members remain missing amid ongoing search efforts

Three people have died and five remain missing after a container ship capsized and sank following a collision on the Yangtze River near Shanghai.

The overturned Chinese ship was carrying 650 containers when it clashed with a foreign cargo vessel at about 11.30pm local time (3.30pm GMT) on Sunday on the Yangtze River estuary, according to maritime officials.

Eight of the 16 crew members on the sunk ship were rescued. Three people died and five were still missing as search efforts continued, the authorities said today.

The Chinese container ship, Xinqisheng69, was 165 metres (541 feet) long with a deadweight of 12,788 tonnes.

It flipped on the Yangtze River estuary near Shanghai after colliding with 'OCEANA', an Antigua and Barbuda cargo boat whose engine had failed, reported Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

More than 20 rescue vessels were called to the scene as footage and pictures show officers lifting the victims out of the sea.

As of 11.41am local time (3.41GMT) today, eleven people had been rescued and three of them were pronounced dead, according to an announcement by the Shanghai Maritime Bureau.

Five crew members remained missing as search efforts continued, officials added. 

The OCEANA with a crew of 19 people is currently anchored in the estuary.

An investigation of the incident was underway.

The incident comes over three months after nine people were killed when an oil tanker with a cargo ship near the Yangtze River estuary in August. 

Another five people who were reported missing at the time were never found.