Chinese authorities have mounted an energetic effort to rescue passengers of a ferry, carrying 458 people on board, which sank on Monday night in the Yangtze river.
Xinhua reported that more than 1,000 armed police officers, carrying 40 inflatable boats, have been dispatched to the site of the disaster. Local fishing boats have also joined the effort.
Caught in a cycloneThe ship, named Dongfangzhixing, or Eastern Star, sank at around 9:28 p.m. after being caught in a cyclone in the Jianli section of the Yangtze River. The boat was heading from Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jiangsu Province, to southwest China’s Chongqing city.
The cause of the sinking was not immediately clear, but the captain of the vessel said the ship ran into a “tornado” during a heavy storm.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Prime Minister Li Keqiang were monitoring the rescue. Mr. Li, who was heading to the spot, called for “all-out efforts” to save lives following the tragedy. State TV showed images of rescuers trying to cut through the ship’s upturned hull with an angle grinder.
The South China Morning Post reported that around 13 survivors have been found, including the captain, chief engineer and a 65-year old woman.
50-80-year age groupThe People ’s daily reported that most of the passengers were in the 50-80- year age group, and were on a tour organised by a Shanghai travel group.
The ship was capable of carrying up to 534 people and was owned by a tour operator in the Three Gorges dam area.
