Angry relatives of a local stand-in actor who drowned in the Huangpu River on Tuesday while shooting a scene for a TV series and who remained missing yesterday, have pinned the blame on the producers.

The 55-year-old extra, Chen Lixin, went missing in the tides while performing a stand-in scene for the TV series, Phoenix in Flames, at Huishan port on Yangshupu Road on Tuesday.

Police said yesterday they hadn't received reports of any bodies in nearby waters, but there was not much chance of Chen's survival.

Yu Liyi, an assistant director, said workers from the production team had jumped into the river but failed to grab Chen.

Witnesses said a life buoy was thrown to Chen immediately after he jumped but he failed to grasp it.

The 30-million-yuan (US$3.7 million) TV series is directed by Jing Wong, a famous Hong Kong director, and has a glittering cast.

Chen was being paid 300 yuan for being the dead body of Uncle Dong, who is killed and thrown into the river by one of the lead actors in the series. The production team said Chen, who had played stand-in roles in the past, had claimed to be a good swimmer before they allowed him to jump into the water.

However, Chen's wife and son insisted that the producers had failed to provide enough security, considering the situation in the river was dangerous because of the tides.

Chen's death highlights the poor working conditions of extras, who mostly work without any written contracts.

An agent company had found the job for Chen.

Fu Huayang, director of many TV commercials, said almost all extras and stunt actors are recruited through individual or corporate agents. They receive their payment from agents, with the price based on their negotiation, he said, adding, "Decent producers always buy accident insurance for risky scenes."

Wang Zhan, a lawyer, said the producers of the TV series should be held responsible for the accident because they virtually hired Chen though he was being paid by an agent company.