According to the Xinhua News Agency, two cargo ships collided on Wednesday morning at the mouth of Yangtze River near Shanghai.

Due to the crash 15 out of the 17 members that were on board of one ship have died when the vessel sank around 1730 GMT.

The news agency said that one crew member was rescued by the rescue team, while another person is still missing.

The cause of the collision was not mentioned by authorities.

According to the Xinhua, the rescue operations are still on and the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Other two ships remained stranded on a bank of a river which is covered by snow. The heavy snow that has fallen in the last few days in China has left parts of the country into a standstill.

Measuring 3,500 miles, Yangtze River is the third longest river in the world and a very important shipping route. It runs all the way from the Tibetan plateau to the sea near Shanghai.

Its water level dropped recently registering low records.

In Wuhan's Hankou District the water level measured 13.98 meters, being the lowest record comparing it with the same time of the year since 1866 when records began. This affected fishery, shipping and water supply.

Since 2007 two dams are on the river: Three Gorges Dam and Gezhouba Dam. Xiluodu Dam, the third one is under construction.