The death toll from a Chinese cruise ship which capsized during a storm in the Yangtze River jumped to 396 yesterday, leaving fewer than 50 still missing, as the boat operator apologised and said it would cooperate with investigations.
Only 14 survivors, one of them the captain, have been found after the ship carrying 456 overturned in a freak tornado on
Monday night.
Rescuers are searching the cabins of the four-level ship, which was righted and raised on Friday, looking for more bodies.
State television showed pictures of workers clad in protective gear and wearing masks prizing open doors with crowbars and using axes to clear away debris from the ship, which is being held up by cranes and wires attached to barges.
Jiang Zhao, general manager of the company which operated the Eastern Star, bowed in apology for the disaster during an interview with state media, saying they would “fully” cooperate with the investigation.
Beijing has pledged there would be “no cover-up” in the probe.
Police have detained the captain and chief engineer for questioning as part of the investigation. An initial probe found the ship was not overloaded and had enough life vests on board.
More than 1,400 family members have come to Jianli in the central province of Hubei, where the ship went down, with many expressing frustration at the lack of information from the government.
The government says that it is doing everything possible to help the relatives, including providing free accommodation and medical services, and yesterday state television ran an interview with a tearful family member saying how happy she
was with all their help.
Peng Jun, head of Hubei province’s civil affairs bureau, told reporters the treatment of the families was “meticulous.”
Authorities would work to “satisfy their reasonable demands, and provide all conveniences to them,” he said.
But relatives speaking to Reuters have expressed concern about security apparently being aimed at them, including the number of police cars parked outside of hotels where they are staying.
Yesterday morning, a daily government briefing for family members was cut short after an argument broke out with a representative of the local government.
One woman was carried out of the briefing after she fainted.
The government is bringing in equipment to store the bodies, many of which are in an advanced state of decomposition, as well as DNA experts to help with identification.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
