Beijing: Over 400 people are still missing from the capsized ship on river Yangtze in China. Nearly 18 have died and fourteen people have been rescued, according to state reports. The rescue operations are still underway. More than 1,000 armed officials and equipped with 40 inflatable boats were part of the rescue effort.
Transport Minister Yang Chuantang said that they would give their 100 per cent to rescue the passengers and would absolutely not give up as long as there’s even a little hope.
The four-level ship, the Eastern Star, caught in a cyclone and went down at around 21:30 on Monday evening (13:30 GMT) in the Damazhou section of the Yangtze. The ship was carrying 456 passengers when the accident occurred. The ship overturned without sending an emergency signal.
The ship’s captain and the chief engineer, who survived, said that it was caught in a cyclone and went down within minutes. Both of them were taken into custody for questioning.
