Chinese rescuers battle to right capsized ship as relatives mourn

Rescuers were battling to right a cruise ship that capsized in central China in a last-ditch attempt to find survivors on Thursday, as hundreds of people clutching candles and flowers gathered nearby to weep for the dead. As night fell, state TV showed two huge cranes beginning the delicate operation to right the submerged hull of the “Eastern Star,” which overturned on the Yangtze river on Monday evening with more than 450 people on board. A total of 77 people have been confirmed dead since the cruiseliner sank in Hubei province’s Jianli county, but hundreds more are still missing and fears are mounting this could turn into China’s worst shipping disaster in nearly 70 years.

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

Previous attempts earlier in the day to cut into the hull were suspended due to poor weather. Torrential rain has continued to hamper rescue operations and the swift-flowing and murky brown waters of the Yangtze are also proving a huge challenge for rescue divers searching the boat room-by-room. Only 14 people have been found alive and, with hopes for more survivors fading fast, relatives of those on board gathered Thursday night in a public square in Jianli to pray for those lost in the disaster.

Asia-Pacific Yangtze river