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BEIJING, June 15 (Reuters) - A mile-long Chinese bridge collapsed at dawn on Friday after being hit by a boat laden with sand, leaving part of the highway sloping directly into the water.

About 130 vehicles crossed the 1.6-km bridge in the southern province of Guangdong during the hour of the accident, and six were unaccounted for, the Chinese government's Web site, www.china.com.cn, said.

Divers were unable to find any cars and the number of casualties, if any, was still unknown, state media said.

The accident happened around 5 a.m. when the sand boat was passing under the bridge, which connects Foshan to the neighbouring city of Heshan.

"The boat hit a pier of the bridge, and at least 150 metres (yards) of the bridge structure collapsed," Xinhua said.

The collapsed bridge segment fell directly onto the boat, causing it to sink almost immediately.

Two of the boat's 10 crewmen were injured, but all were rescued, an official with the local police said.

The bridge runs over the Xijiang, a major tributary of the Pearl River Delta. Heavy rains in Southern China have made the river higher and faster than usual.

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