Cruise ship sinking: Survivors rescued, but more than 400 still missing

Chinese rescuers worked through the night in a desperate race to find survivors from a capsized cruise ship, with more than 400 people still missing after the boat sank in a storm on the Yangtze river.

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Latest (13:00): CNN has reported that an adult male has been rescued more than 30 hours after the cruise ship capsized. Chinese weather officials have also confirmed that the ship was hit by a powerful storm, likely a cyclone, which made evasive action extremely difficult.

Rescuers race against clock to find survivors of China ship

Jianli, China, June 2, 2015, AFP –  Chinese rescuers worked through the night in a desperate race to find survivors from a capsized cruise ship, with more than 400 people still missing after the boat sank in a storm on the Yangtze river.

By Tuesday night just 14 people had been confirmed as surviving after the "Eastern Star" rapidly overturned late Monday, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Seven 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 said.

Rescuers pulled at least three survivors from the wreckage Tuesday as fears mounted for the more than 400 still missing.

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 as much as 45 degrees just after 9:00 pm local time on Monday, Xinhua said.

"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."

Passengers began taking soaked quilts and TV sets into the ship's hall around 9:20 pm, Xinhua quoted Zhang as saying, in what appeared to be an attempt to keep the items dry.

Passengers seemed to have little warning before the ship sank minutes later, with Zhang recalling he had "30 seconds to grab a life jacket".

The captain and chief engineer, who were among the survivors and were being questioned by police, both reportedly said the ship was caught in a freak "cyclone".

CCTV said the 76.5-metre vessel had floated three kilometres down-river after it capsized in Jianli county, part of the central province of Hubei.

Teams of police worked to get small motorboats in the water to search for survivors in the rain, while other emergency personnel looked on from the shore.

Xinhua reported that three divers found a 21-year-old man in a small compartment Tuesday afternoon, saying he was given diving apparatus and he was able to swim out by himself.

State broadcaster CCTV showed rescue workers carrying an elderly woman on a stretcher, adding that another 65-year-old woman was in "good physical condition," after being hauled from the boat.

Xinhua said an investigation by the ministry of transport had determined the ship was not overloaded and had a sufficient number of life jackets.

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