Chinese cruise ship lifted from river

103 bodies found
Cnn, Jianli

The Eastern Star is upright once again, looking almost normal with its bottom resting on the water and its deck and cabins clear above it.

The ship's positioning yesterday was a step forward in the days-long nightmare playing out on a section of the Yangtze River that flows through Hubei province. It means answers should be easier to come by as to why the Eastern Star capsized Monday night and what can be done to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

It also means closure could be coming soon to hundreds of families.

By 6:20 pm (6:20 am ET) yesterday, the body count stood at 103, according to Chinese state media. That's a tick up from previous days, but still a fraction of the 456 passengers who were on board, many of them in their 60s and 70s.

Fourteen of them survived. But rescuers have had no luck since Tuesday, when a 21-year-old sailor and 65-year-old woman were plucked from the water.

The chances of more miracles have dwindled with each passing day. And the salvage process has begun.

That process involved huge floating cranes that set up alongside the overturned river cruise ship,  rolled the ship upright and raised it to the surface.