BEIJING » A passenger ship carrying more than 450 people sank overnight in the Yangtze River during a cyclone in southern China, and eight people have been rescued, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday.

Further rescue work was under way but strong winds and rain were hampering the search, Xinhua said. The boat was going from Nanjing to the southwestern city of Chongqing when it sank at about 9:28 p.m. Monday night in Hubei province, the report said.

Xinhua quoted the captain and chief engineer, who were both rescued, as saying the ship sank quickly after being caught in a cyclone.

Xinhua said the boat was carrying 405 Chinese passengers, five travel agency employees and 47 crew members.