Hundreds missing after passenger ship sinks in China's Yangtze River - FOX31 Denver
The Eastern Star capsized late Monday in stormy weather as it carried 458 passengers — mostly senior citizens — and crew members along a stretch of the Yangtze that winds through central China’s Hubei province, authorities said. By Tuesday night, only 15 survivors and five bodies had been recovered, state media reported, as rescuers battled darkness and rain in a desperate effort to reach those trapped inside the wreck. Divers plunged into the river and rescue workers gathered along part of the vessel’s upturned hull that was sticking out of the water. They used hammers to knock on the body of the ship, which was almost completely submerged, and heard responses from inside, a state-run local newspaper reported. More than 1,000 armed police officers, equipped with 40 inflatable boats, were participating in the rescue effort, said Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency. In this case, the majority of the 406 passengers on the cruise were between 50 and 80 years old, according to a list published by state media. The youngest was 3. There were also 47 crew members and five travel agency workers on board, according to state media. Unless many more people are rescued, the Yangtze River sinking will become the deadliest passenger ship disaster in Asia. Source: kdvr.com
