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Chinese ship sinks with at least 450 on board | Chinese ship sinks with at least 450 on board |
(35 minutes later) | |
A ship carrying more than 450 people has sunk after being caught in a storm on the Yangtze River in southern China, according to state media. | |
The Xinhua News Agency said eight people had been rescued so far and work was under way to save the remaining passengers. | The Xinhua News Agency said eight people had been rescued so far and work was under way to save the remaining passengers. |
Prime Minister Li Keqiang is travelling to the scene, state media said. | Prime Minister Li Keqiang is travelling to the scene, state media said. |
The vessel had been travelling from the eastern city of Nanjing to Chongqing in the south-west when it sank. | |
The ship, the Eastern Star, had been carrying 405 Chinese passengers, five travel agency employees and 47 crew, Xinhua said. | The ship, the Eastern Star, had been carrying 405 Chinese passengers, five travel agency employees and 47 crew, Xinhua said. |
The captain and the chief engineer, who are among those rescued, were quoted as saying that the ship had been caught in a cyclone and sank quickly. | The captain and the chief engineer, who are among those rescued, were quoted as saying that the ship had been caught in a cyclone and sank quickly. |
Rescue work was being hampered by strong winds and heavy rain, the report added. The sinking happened in the Jianli county of Hubei Province. | |
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said the vessel was owned by the Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corporation which runs tours to the scenic Three Gorges river canyon area along the Yangtze river. | |
Twenty-two people died on the river in January, when a tugboat undergoing tests capsized near Zhangjiagang, in Jiangsu province. | Twenty-two people died on the river in January, when a tugboat undergoing tests capsized near Zhangjiagang, in Jiangsu province. |