Boat with more than 450 people sinks in China's Yangtze

BEIJING (AP) — A small cruise ship carrying more than 450 people, many of them elderly, sank overnight in the Yangtze River during a storm in southern China, and eight people have been rescued, the state broadcaster CCTV reported Tuesday.

Rescue work was underway but low visibility due to fog was hampering the search, CCTV said. The boat was traveling from Nanjing upstream to the southwestern city of Chongqing when it sank Monday night in Hubei province, the report said.

The official Xinhua News Agency quoted the captain and chief engineer, who were both rescued, as saying the ship sank quickly after being caught in a cyclone. The Communist Party-run People's Daily said the ship sank within two minutes.

CCTV said the four-level ship was carrying 406 Chinese passengers, five travel agency employees and 47 crew members. It sank in the Damazhou waterway section, where the river is 15 meters (about 50 feet) deep.

The broadcaster said most of the passengers were 50 to 80 years of age.

CCTV video footage of the river showed calm waters Tuesday morning, with dozens of rescue personnel in bright orange vests gathered on the shore. Several rescue ships were searching the waters, and submersible craft had been deployed.

The channel said seven of the survivors swam to shore and alerted authorities of the sinking.

The Eastern Star measured 251 feet long (76.5 meters) and 36 feet wide (11 meters) and was capable of carrying a maximum of 534 people, CCTV reported. It is owned by the Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corp., which focuses on tourism routes in the popular Three Gorges river canyon region.

CCTV reported that 6 inches (150 millimeters) of rain had fallen in the region over the past 24 hours.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is reported to be traveling to the accident site. Xinhua reported that President Xi Jinping had ordered a work team of the State Council, the country's Cabinet, to rush to the site to guide the rescue work.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-06-02

So Much For Going Down With The Ship...

8 out of 457 people on board are rescued and they include the Captain and Chief Engineer??? Now a captain is not required to 'go down with the ship', but he or she is required to assist all crew members and passengers to safety, if possible, before seeking safety himself!

This sounds like another Concordia/Korean Ferry type situation.

BBC reporting that most of the passengers are 50-80 years old, and the boat appears to be upside down on the bottom.

Not good.

Poor seniors. I cannot imagin how frantic they were and to add their lack of mobility.

As for the captain and chief engineer, I'm sure they know they're not home free, as this is China.

"...eight people have been rescued..."

I would think you would lead off with 450 out of 458 people are missing.

406 passengers

5 travel personel

47 crew

The number rescued seems to be up to 20 or 30 now. Here is a picture of the ship:

It's one of those 4 story 'wedding cake boats' that is probably more stable upside down than it is right side up.

I don't know if this link is allowed, but here are live updates from China Daily (in English)

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-06/02/content_20882364.htm

BEIJING (AP) - Broadcaster says rescuers hear survivors yelling for help in capsized ship in China's Yangtze.

It capsised. A number of crew survived. It may not be as sinister as some jump to conclude.

Sounds like, in typical Chinese fashion, everybody rushed to one side to see something. No queues, just a crazy mob pushing to get near a window.

The crew, in their positions, were not on the downward side of the ship as she toppled, and thus could swim to safety.

RIP dear victims.

Some sources say it was caught in a cyclone. Too early to believe every news release.

From Google images.

Global Times says 10 rescued.

There is no plausible way a ship that size could sink in 2 minutes. Flip over yes but even now pictures show the hull, so it has not sunk yet!