China tragedy: Divers search for survivors of overturned cruise ship

Divers racing to find survivors rescued a 65-year-old woman on Tuesday after the Chinese ship known in English as the Eastern Star sank with more than 450 mainly elderly people in the storm-tossed Yangtze River. Thirteen survivors so far have been pulled from the ship, and there’s hope that more can be saved. Rescuers have been seen tapping on the overturned hull, waiting for replies, while others have been using welding gear and ropes. According to newspaper reports, most of the ship’s passengers were over 60.

Rescuers knocked on the ship and received responses. Three people were found alive.

Report from China’s Hubei Daily

The cause of the sinking was not immediately clear. The captain and chief engineer, who were among those rescued and are being questioned by authorities, both reportedly said it had been caught in a “cyclone” and sank within a minute.

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