China rescue team begin work on refloating capsized Yangtze ferry

Chinese authorities will start refloating the overturned ship in the Yangtze river on Thursday so rescuers can “search for the missing persons in the shortest possible time”, the state news agency Xinhua has said. Rescue workers are racing to locate anyone who may have survived the river cruise ship disaster, with hundreds still missing and increasing anger among relatives. The Eastern Star sank on Monday night in a storm, leaving just part of its hull protruding from the water. More than 456 people were onboard. Seventy-seven bodies have now been found while hundreds remain unaccounted for.

Due to factors including the recent wide-ranging rainfall, it was exceptionally hard for the divers every time they submerged. Every dive was a grope in the dark.

Transport ministry spokesman Xu Chengguang

China has promised transparency during the investigation into the sinking as relatives become increasingly angry at the lack of information. Earlier on Thursday, President Xi Jinping convened a special meeting of the ruling Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee, the apex of power in the country, to discuss the disaster, Xinhua said. The rescue effort, in Jianli county, in the central province of Hubei, continued through another night, with workers battling time pressures as well as strong currents and heavy rain.

Asia-Pacific Yangtze river