AN irate passenger who missed her bus stop triggered a catastrophe in China when she attacked the driver.

The bus then plunged into the Yangtze River after the driver lost control, killing everyone on board.

Thirteen bodies were found after the Sunday night crash, and two people remained missing, Chongqing police told China Daily on Friday morning.

About 15 people were on board, police said.

Bus surveillance video obtained by Chongqing police, as well as other evidence, shows that a 48-year-old female passenger, identified only by her last name, Liu, missed her stop and asked the driver to stop immediately, the outlet reported.

When the 43-year-old driver, also identified by his last name, Ran, refused, Liu hit him over the head with her cellphone. The video shows the pair swinging at each other, with the driver still attempting to steer the bus in between blows.

Suddenly, the bus swerved onto the wrong side of the road before striking another car, breaking through a guardrail and plunging into the river in Wanzhou, Chongqing.

The bus was airlifted out of the water by around 11:30pm. Wednesday, police said.

Zhao Hu, a lawyer, told the outlet that the victims' families have the right to seek compensation from the bus operator as well as Liu's family.

In the footage, passengers can be heard screaming as the driver loses control of the bus, crashing through a safety barrier on the other side of the bridge, and plunging into the water far below.

A huge rescue operation was mounted but there have been no survivors.

The black box recording the bus's mechanical condition was found early Wednesday morning and handed to police.

The driver in the oncoming car suffered minor injuries and was hospitalised, according to The South China Morning Post.

Her husband told Chinese media she was briefly held by police after the accident, but has since been released.