One person remained missing, and rescuers continued to search the cockpit of the vessel as well as nearby sections of the Yangtze River in the province of Jiangsu, Xinhua said.

The Wanshenzhou 67 was on a test voyage on Thursday in the river’s Fubei Channel when it suddenly turned over.

The ship’s owner, parts suppliers and engineers were among the 25 people aboard for the test, including eight foreigners - four Singaporeans, an Indian, an Indonesian, a Japanese and a Malaysian, the Hindu reported.

Three people were rescued, all Chinese, including one man identified as an interpreter, who was freed when rescuers cut through the bottom of the boat’s hull early on Friday.

Officials did not immediately give the missing person’s nationality.

An official form the Jiangsu maritime search and rescue centre confirmed that 21 people were dead.