China relatives hope for ‘miracle’ in race to find ship survivors

Relatives of more than 400 people missing after a cruise ship capsized on China’s Yangtze river were hoping for a “miracle” Wednesday, as authorities said they were racing against time to find any survivors. State media said just 14 people have been rescued from the “Eastern Star” which overturned late Monday in a storm, with just a section of its hull visible in the murky waters. Another 18 bodies have been recovered, state broadcaster CCTV said, leaving hundreds of mostly elderly passengers still missing and possibly trapped within the ship which witnesses said sank in a matter of seconds. A total of 456 people had been on board the vessel which was plying a popular tourist route from the eastern city of Nanjing to the southwestern city of Chongqing.

We are in a race against the clock in the search.

Transport minister Yang Chuantang

Rescuers pulled at least three survivors from the wreckage Tuesday after they cut through part of the ship’s overturned hull to reach the interior of the vessel, but then worked through the night in vain. Grim images broadcast on state-run CCTV showed what appeared to be a dead woman being pulled from the water, her body already rigid. Fields around the site of the capsized boat were heavily waterlogged, and many of the pathways being used by rescue workers were ankle-deep in mud and rainwater. Emergency vehicles heading out of a rescue centre set up on the riverside had to pass through deep water, and emergency crews laboured under heavy waterproof clothing and boots.

yangtze Asia-Pacific