SEVEN workers drowned after their boat capsized in the lake of a wetland park in northwestern Gansu Province on Sunday.

The accident happened at 9:55 a.m. in the under-construction park in the outskirts of Ganzhou District of Zhangye City, said Wang Chaohua, a city official.

Rescuers rushed to the scene at 10:11 a.m. and got them out of water by 11:20. But all of them died later in hospital.

The seven workers, two women and five men, had intended to plant trees on the island in the middle of the lake, but none of them could steer the boat properly or swim, Wang said.

Compensation was being offered to the victims' families, Wang added.

Construction on the wetland park started in 2006. The lake covers an area of 44.3 hectares.

(Xinhua)