China Rights Capsized Ship, Death Toll Jumps to 97
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Date: 6/5/2015 5:38:07 AM
Sender: VOA
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Rescuers watch the capsized ship Eastern Star being lifted by cranes on the Yangtze River in Jianli county of southern China’s Hubei province, as seen from across the river from Huarong county of southern China’s Hunan province, June 5, 2015.
Rescuers in central China slowly began to raise a cruise ship that capsized on the Yangtze River earlier this week and said there is no chance of finding anyone else alive, as the death toll reached at least 97.
Video shows that one side of the capsized Eastern Star was rolled above water Friday morning after crews worked all night to right the vessel.
Only 14 people have been rescued since the ship went down in severe weather late Monday. Well over 300 passengers, many of whom are elderly, remain missing. Many are believed to be trapped in the hull.
Transport Ministry spokesman Xu Chengguang told reporters Friday the ship will now be raised completely to begin the search for bodies.
The death toll is expected to drastically rise, likely making the incident China＇s deadliest maritime disaster in decades.
Beijing had promised an all-out effort to find survivors, but that failed to satisfy many relatives of the missing passengers who are not happy with a lack of information from authorities.
Scores of family members broke through a police barricade late Wednesday as they marched toward the accident site, demanding information on missing relatives.
Chinese authorities, who have tightly controlled information on the rescue effort, have promised to allow the relatives to visit the site.
Winds, rain hamper rescue
The rescue has been complicated by heavy winds and rain, as well as strong currents that have pushed the capsized, shallow-draft vessel nearly three kilometers downstream from the accident site.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is coordinating recovery efforts at the disaster site -- the scene of nearly 50 rescue vessels, 3,000 troops and nearly 200 divers.
The 77-meter-long vessel overturned Monday evening within minutes of being hit by what Chinese media describe as a tornado. The ship＇s captain and chief engineer, who survived the sinking, are being questioned by police.
Three bodies were recovered down river in Yueyang in Hunan province, about 50 kilometers from the location of the shipwreck, according to the People＇s Daily. Rescuers said they will expand their search radius. No survivors have been found since Tuesday.
China＇s Transportation Ministry said 456 people were on board.
Earlier Wednesday, Transport spokesperson Zhong Shoudao said the ship was designed to navigate inland waterways.
"The river ships tend to have a lower standard on wind-resistance and wave-resistance than ocean ships,＇＇ Zhong said. "If the force of the blowing wind was more than the ship could withstand, then it would have capsized."
China＇s state broadcaster, CCTV, reported that the ship is owned by the Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corporation, which runs river tours of the fabled Three Gorges dam.
It said the vessel was capable of holding up to 534 people. |
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