Hundreds still missing as ship sinks in China
NewsUPDATE: A Chinese ship that capsized this week,carrying 458 passengers, has now been turned upright, its crushed blue roof able to be seen from the murky waters.
Seventy-seven people are dead and hundreds are still missing when the Eastern Star capsized on the Yangtze River in China’s Hubei province on Monday.
The captain and the chief engineer of the ship, who have both been detained, claim the boat was caught in a tornado, but new reports reveal safety authorities had previously cited the vessel for safety infractions.
Among the hundreds of passengers were tourists aged between 50 and 80, with the youngest just three years old.
Eastern Star is owned by Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corporation, which runs tours to the Three Gorges river canyon area along the Yangtze River.
