HEFEI - A ferry that sank in China's longest waterway, the Yangtze River, last week was retrieved Sunday and three bodies had been identified, local authorities said.

The ferry was recovered at 4 pm Sunday after nearly four days of search and rescue, the Ma'anshan city committee of the Communist Party of China said in a press release.

The ferry carrying 21 people and 10 vehicles sank in the Yangtze's Ma'anshan section in East China's Anhui province at 1:40 am Thursday. Thirteen people were reported missing.

As of Sunday afternoon, rescuers had also retrieved a truck, a taxi and a Honda SUV, and identified three dead bodies, the official document said.

It said rescue work was continuing for the missing passengers and vehicles.

The cause of the accident is being investigated.