Beijing | Two people were killed, three others listed as missing and five vehicles fell off when a section of a bridge collapsed after it was hit by a container ship in China's Guangzhou city on Thursday.

The accident took place in the early hours when a pier of the Lixinsha Bridge was hit by an empty container ship which led to collapse of part of the beam in the Nansha district of Guangzhou, 90-odd km northwest of Hong Kong.

The captain of the cargo ship has been arrested, Beijing News reported.

Of the five vehicles, including a bus and a motorbike that fell off the bridge, two plunged into the river and the others fell onto the vessel, a preliminary investigation has found, official media here reported.

Lixinsha Bridge on the Hongqili Waterway is the main transportation route for residents of Sanmin Island.

Currently, the cause of the accident and the extent of casualties are being investigated, state-run Global Times reported.

The Guangzhou bus company said one of its drivers was alone in his vehicle when it fell off the bridge. Rescue teams are on the scene but details of other casualties remain uncertain.

Footage carried by state broadcaster CCTV showed a partially collapsed bridge, with the empty ship jammed beneath the structure.

With the gaping breach in the span after the incident, the bridge was closed to traffic.

Zhong Weihong, the village Party secretary of Minjian village on the island, told reporters that there was an option of a ferry available for residents to travel.