The death toll has risen to five after a bus plunged into the Yangtze River in southwest China on Sunday, local authorities said Tuesday.

Rescuers search victims after a bus plunged into the Yangtze River from a bridge in Chongqing, October 30, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

Rescuers retrieved one more body from the river in Chongqing Municipality on Tuesday morning, after two bodies had been retrieved earlier. 

An investigation said that 15 people, including the bus driver, were involved in the crash.

The bus veered onto the wrong side of the road and collided into an oncoming private car before breaking through road fencing and falling off a bridge in Wanzhou District on Sunday.

With the help of sonar technology and underwater robots, the bus was found 73 meters underwater, according to Zhou Dongrong, from Shanghai Salvage Co., a state-run salvage company.

Rescue work is still underway. A total of 18 professional divers are carrying out salvage operations, according to Zhou.

However, the complex water situations and limited underwater visibility have hampered the rescue efforts.