Hope fades for 400 missing
Rescuers yesterday started cutting through the hull of a capsized Chinese cruise ship, state media said, in a desperate effort to find survivors among more than 400 people still missing days after the disaster.
Only 14 people have been found, along with 26 bodies, since the "Eastern Star" overturned late Monday in a storm on the Yangtze river, leaving part of the boat protruding from the murky water.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Chinese state media agency Xinhua warned the disaster could become the deadliest in the country for almost seven decades as rescue workers started cutting a small hole in the bottom of the ship in an attempt to free anyone still inside.
"The ship sank in a very short timeframe so there could still be air trapped in the hull," it quoted Li Qixiu of the Naval University of Engineering as saying, which "means there could still be survivors."
Witnesses and state media said the ship -- which was carrying a total of 456 people, most aged over 60, on a holiday cruise -- sank in a matter of seconds after it was hit by bad weather. Weathermen said a tornado was in the area at the time.
Media reports said the 250-foot (76.5-metre) vessel had floated three kilometres downriver after it capsized.
Around 20 bodies appeared to have been found yesterday with dozens of divers searching each of the ship's cabins one by one, CCTV said.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who has been directing operations, vowed to keep searching despite the tough conditions.
The captain and chief engineer, who were also among the survivors and were being questioned by police, both reportedly said the ship was caught in a freak storm.
The ship was cited for safety infractions two years ago along with five other vessels, according to a notice by the Nanjing Maritime Bureau, which gave no details on why the boat was detained or subsequent actions taken.
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