GUANGZHOU: The local procuratorial authority has approved the arrest of the captain of a sand barge that struck a bridge in the southern province of Guangdong on June 15.

The 1,600-m Jiujiang Bridge across the Xijiang River, a tributary of the Pearl River, collapsed after being hit.

A statement issued by the Haizhou district procuratorate in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, said its captain, Shi Guide, was "fully responsible" for the collision due to his poor control of the vessel.

"It was foggy as Shi was steering the vessel from Gaoming to Shunde, but he didn't stop or take any safety measures as he approached Jiujiang Bridge," the statement said.

It added the barge moved outside the main shipping channel and hit a pier of the bridge.

"Even when Shi realized the vessel had left the main channel, he still did not stop or change the ship's course," the statement said.

When the barge hit the bridge, three piers crumbled into the river and the bridge collapsed, causing four cars and nine people to plunge into the water.

Eight bodies were later recovered from the river, but one is still missing.

An initial safety assessment said the bridge, which was built in 1988, was not suffering from any construction or design flaws prior to being struck by the barge.

Shi, a 43-year-old native of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, had been captain of the Nanguiji035 since 2005.

He and six of his crew were detained by police on June 17.