Death Toll Of Capsized Chinese Cruise Ship Increases

Divers have started to search for over survivors inside the capsized Chinese cruise ship. This comes as the death toll of what may become the worst shipping disaster in China in nearly 70 years went up to 18.

Some rescuers were seen standing on the hull of the Eastern Star cruise ship, which capsized in the Yangtze River on Monday night. The captain of the ship was among the fourteen survivors of the disaster after a freak tornado capsized the ship with 456 people on board.

While divers are facing obstacles in their search and rescue effort, they have not lost hope of finding more survivors. Among the obstacles facing the divers were tables and beds blocking cabin doors. They are also concerned about cutting holes in the hull, which can affect air pockets that may be keeping some people alive inside the capsized Chinese cruise ship.

Naval commander Hui Dongyan said they were exerting all effort in rescuing people trapped inside the ship. A similar disaster happened in South Korea last year that resulted to the death of 304 people. The search area in the Yangtze was expanded to 220 kilometers as some bodies may have been swept away from the area where the ship capsized. State media revealed that three bodies were found around fifty kilometer away from the site of the disaster.

A resident near the river, Zou Luwang, said residents were warned of extreme weather condition by the government on the night of the disaster. He said the expertise of boat operators may have not been enough to deal with the bad weather in the area. A survivor of the capsized Chinese cruise ship, Zhang Hui, said water was seeping through the cabin windows before the ship listed. After he told his colleague they were in trouble, the ship suddenly overturned.

Li Yongjun, the captain of another vessel in the area where the disaster happened, said he made the decision to anchor due to the bad weather. He said visibility was low and the rain was affecting the radar, which made it more difficult to navigate. He also said at around 10 PM he heard someone asking for help, but the weather conditions made it difficult mount a rescue.

Death Toll Of Capsized Chinese Cruise Ship Increases - image credit: cnn.com

The captain and chief engineer of the capsized Chinese cruise ship were detained for questioning. The Eastern Star was not overloaded and had a sufficient number of life vests when it capsized. The captain said the ship turned over within two minutes. He was rescued near a pier sometime after the disaster.

The lack of information angered relatives of the missing passengers in Shanghai. A travel agency in Shanghai booked the tickets for many passengers of the ship. Around two dozen relatives marched towards the main government office guarded by police.

A passenger manifest acquired by state media showed the passengers of the capsized Chinese cruise ship were between the ages of 3 to over 80 years old.

Premier Li Keqiang asked for transparent and regular updates on the search and rescue operations as well as the investigation. The premier also said adequate funding and equipment should be provided by authorities. The state weather bureau said the area where the ship capsized was buffeted by a tornado, which is a rare occurrence in the country.

The Eastern Star had the capacity to carry over 500 people. It was on its way to Chongqing from Nanjing. These accidents are rare occurrences in China. The worst shipping disaster in China happened in 1948 when the steamship Kiangya exploded on the Huangpu River, which killed over 1,000 people.

The Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corporation is the owner of the capsized Chinese cruise ship.
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Posted by James Fried on Wednesday June 03 2015, 3:32 PM EDT. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0