BEIJING: Four people went missing after a fishing boat rented by students capsized on Friday in a river in northeastern China in strong winds, state media reported.

The incident happened just before 8:00 am (0000 GMT) on the Songhua river in the city of Harbin in Heilongjiang province, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing local officials.

Four people had so far been saved, and rescue operations were under way, the report said, noting that the water was fast-flowing.

Xinhua had previously said the vessel was a passenger ferry, but later revised its report to say it was a fishing boat rented by six students from a couple, who were apparently also on board.

The boat lost power and started drifting due to the speedy water flow, finally bumping into a pontoon and capsizing, the report said.

Northeastern China is one of the many regions affected by summer flooding, the country`s worst in a decade.

Last month, floods swept 7,000 barrels into the Songhua in neighbouring Jilin province. About half of them were loaded with toxic chemicals.

Most of the barrels were retrieved, but officials in Heilongjiang later admitted small quantities of the chemicals had seeped into the Songhua, the major source of drinking water for about 4.3 million people.

BDST: 1421 HRS, August 20, 2010