Paris - Two people have died after a private yacht sank in the Seine River in the heart of Paris, French radio reported Sunday.

The boat was carrying 12 people, six of them children, when it began taking water and sank late Saturday near the Archeveche Bridge, not far from the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

Rescue workers were able to pluck 10 of the passengers out of the water, but two people, a 45-year-old man and a boy of six, were trapped in the boat. They were taken to hospital in critical condition, and died early Sunday.

Investigators believe the boat may have collided with one of the pillars of the bridge or with a tourist river boat moored along the quay. (dpa)