BEIJING — Two people are dead after a massive container ship crashed into a bridge south of the city of Guangzhou in southern China early Thursday, causing a section of the roadway to come crashing down along with vehicles.

Three people are missing, and two have been rescued. One person from the ship sustained light injuries, according to a statement from the Guangzhou city government’s Nansha district. The incident happened around 5 a.m. Thursday (4 p.m. Wednesday ET).

Three cars, a bus and a scooter fell off the Lixinsha Bridge, authorities said. Two of the cars fell into the water, and the other three vehicles fell onto the empty ship. The bus was occupied only by its driver, according to local media.

Rescue workers are still on the scene and an investigation into the cause of the crash has been started. Authorities have detained the owner of the ship, according to local media.

The Lixinsha Bridge crosses a waterway near the mouth of the Pearl River, inland from Hong Kong. The area is one of China’s biggest manufacturing and transport hubs and contains two of the world’s five busiest ports, according to the World Shipping Council.

There were plans to build collision guards around some of the bridge’s pillars in 2022, according to CCTV, China’s state-run broadcaster, but they have been repeatedly pushed back.