Death toll grows in Yangtze River tragedy

Hopes dimmed Wednesday for rescuing more than 400 people still trapped in a capsized river cruise ship that overturned in stormy weather, as hundreds of rescuers searched the Yangtze River site in what could become the deadliest Chinese maritime accident in decades.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that 18 bodies had been pulled from the boat, which was floating with a sliver of its hull jutting from the gray river water about 36 hours after it capsized. A total of fourteen people have been rescued, but the vast majority of the 456 people on board, many of them elderly tourists, were unaccounted for.

The Yangtze disaster could have a higher death toll than the 304 people killed when a ferry sank in South Korea in April 2014. Most of those killed in that incident were children on a school trip.

State television carried pictures of rescuers, some standing on the upturned hull of the shallow-draft, multi-decked Eastern Star cruise ship, working through the night. So far their efforts have yielded few successes, with only 14 people found alive.

Among the few rescued was an elderly woman who had been trapped in an air pocket in the ship, which capsized on Monday night during a freak tornado on the river, a rare occurrence in a country where twisters are uncommon.

Tour guide Zhang Hui said in an interview with the state-run Xinhua News Agency from his hospital bed that he grabbed a life jacket with seconds to spare as the ship listed in the storm, sending bottles rolling off tables as it suddenly turned all the way over.

Zhang, 43, said he drifted in the Yangtze all night despite not being able to swim, reaching shore as dawn approached.

“The raindrops hitting my face felt like hailstones,” he said. “‘Just hang in there a little longer,’ I told myself.”

Weather continues to hamper rescue efforts, as showers, thunderstorms and strong winds are expected to continue in the area for the next day or so.

The Yangtze search area has been expanded up to 135 miles downstream, state television said, suggesting that many bodies could have been swept far away from where the ship foundered in the rain-swollen river.

Relatives, angry at what they perceive as a lack of information, have scuffled with officials in Shanghai, where many of the tourists started their journey by bus after booking the trip through an agency based in the city.

People questioned whether the captain did enough to ensure the passengers' safety and demanded answers from local officials in unruly scenes that drew a heavy police response. The ship's captain and chief engineer, were in police custody, CCTV said. 

Early on Wednesday, about two dozen affected family members, some crying and others shouting "help us," marched down streets in entral Shanghai towards the main government office watched by police.

A passenger manifest carried by state media showed those on board the Eastern Star ranged in age from three to more than 80. There were 456 people on board when the ship capsized. Official state media originally reported there were 548 people aboard.

Premier Li Keqiang, who rushed to the scene to oversee rescue efforts, called for “regular and transparent updates” on the rescue and investigation. However, state broadcaster CCTV announced Wednesday morning that it was suspending live broadcasts from the disaster site for technical reasons.

It did not elaborate. International media workers have also been kept away from the immediate area surrounding where workers are searching for bodies.

The Chinese military has taken the lead in rescue operations with teams working in round-the-clock shifts. They were exploring the possibility of drilling holes through the ship to reach possible survivors, or to refloat the vessel — a challenging endeavor.

An initial investigation found the ship was not overloaded and had enough life vests for its passengers.

The Eastern Star, which had the capacity to carry more than 500 people, was heading to the southwestern city of Chongqing from Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province. When the ship capsized, it was about halfway through an 11-day cruise, winding upstream with stops at scenic and historic sites.

The popular route often includes a stop at the Three Gorges Dam, which the Eastern Star had yet to reach, and the Fengdu Ghost Town, which got its reputation from a local folklore. Tourists can also walk within an ancient city called Jingzhou with city walls and battlefields that are described in the Chinese literary classic “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”

Maritime accidents of this magnitude are uncommon in China, where major rivers are popular routes for tours and cruises.

The incident comes after China has beefed up maritime safety regulations in recent years, with authorities becoming even more stringent after last year's South Korean ferry disaster that killed more than 300 people, industry insiders said.

The Eastern Star, owned by the Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corp., passed inspections by the authorities in the central province of Chongqing last month, unnamed officials at the Nanjing Maritime Bureau told the official People’s Daily. It was not checked at the Nanjing port as ships like it are usually inspected every three months.  

Wire services