Chinese rescuers cut sunken ship’s hull in search for survivors

Rescuers on Wednesday started cutting through the hull of a capsized Chinese cruise ship, state media said, in a desperate effort to find survivors among more than 400 people still missing days after the disaster. Only 14 people have been found, along with 26 bodies, since the “Eastern Star” overturned late Monday in a storm on the Yangtze river, leaving part of the boat protruding from the murky water. Chinese state media agency Xinhua warned the disaster could become the deadliest in the country for almost seven decades as rescue workers started cutting a small hole in the bottom of the ship in an attempt to free anyone still inside.

The ship sank in a very short timeframe so there could still be air trapped in the hull.

Chinese state media agency Xinhua quoted Li Qixiu of the Naval University of Engineering

Witnesses and state media said the ship – which was carrying a total of 456 people, most aged over 60, on a holiday cruise – sank in a matter of seconds after it was hit by bad weather. Weathermen said a tornado was in the area at the time. Around 20 bodies appeared to have been found Wednesday with dozens of divers searching each of the ship’s cabins one by one, CCTV said. A transport ministry spokesman told AFP that rescuers were battling low visibility in the muddy waters, but would keep searching even as hopes of finding survivors dwindled. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who has been directing operations, vowed to keep searching despite the tough conditions.

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