Hundreds still missing after China cruise ship sinks

Rescuers pulled at least three people from the wreckage of a capsized Chinese cruise ship Tuesday as fears mount for the more than 400 people still missing after the boat sank in a storm.

Just 14 people have been confirmed as surviving after the Dongfangzhixing, or “Eastern Star,” a tourist boat, rapidly overturned late Monday on the Yangtze river in central China, the official Xinhua news agency reports.

Six bodies have been recovered from the wreckage, leaving hundreds more still missing, possibly trapped within the ship which apparently sank in a matter of seconds with 458 people on board, state media says.

Local reports said the passengers were mostly aged over 60.

Television footage showed rescuers on top of a section of the ship’s hull which remained above water, some pressing their ears against it.

“Rescuers knocked on the ship and received responses,” the Hubei Daily newspaper said. “Three people were found alive.”

Zhang Hui, a 43-year-old tour guide on board, described a storm roiling the boat which tilted by as much as 45 degrees just after 9:00 pm local time (1300 GMT) on Monday, Xinhua says.

“Rain poured down on the right side of the boat, many rooms were flooded,” Zhang said, according to Xinhua. “Even if the windows were shut, water leaked through.”

— AFP