NINGBO, Zhejiang Province - Six people have been confirmed dead since a ship they were aboard overturned on Wednesday afternoon in East China's Zhejiang province, local authorities said Thursday.

The accident happened around 6:30 pm on a river near Siduzhuang village in Yinzhou district, Ningbo city, when all 18 people on the ship fell into the river, according to the local government.

The other 12 people have been rescued, and an investigation into the cause of the accident is under way.