Jianli, China: Relatives of more than 400 people missing after a cruise ship capsized on China’s Yangtze river were hoping for a “miracle” on Wednesday, as some clashed with police over a lack of information from officials.
State media said just 14 people have been rescued from the “Eastern Star” which overturned late Monday in a storm, with just a section of its hull emerging from the murky waters.
Another 18 bodies have been recovered, state broadcaster CCTV said, leaving hundreds of mostly elderly passengers still missing and possibly trapped within the ship, which witnesses said sank in a matter of seconds.
A total of 456 people had been on board the vessel, which was plying a popular tourist route from the eastern city of Nanjing to the southwestern city of Chongqing.
Many of the passengers were from Shanghai and their relatives were met by a wall of police outside Shanghai’s main government building as they clamoured for information, according to a video shared on social media.
“The police first formed a human wall and didn’t let us in. Then the relatives got excited and started to shout. Some policemen hit people,” said one young woman whose mother was on the boat.
The ship was cited for safety infractions two years ago along with five other ships, according to a notice by the Nanjing Maritime Bureau, amid inspections of 79 Yangtze river cruise ships. There were no further details on exactly why the boat was detained or subsequent actions taken.
Officials gave no updates on the death toll or number of people rescued during a press conference held Wednesday afternoon that lasted a mere 25 minutes and questions were not taken.
The ship has 150 compartments and divers are searching each room one by one, CCTV said, while authorities have expanded the search area to include areas around Wuhan, 220 kilometres (136 miles) downstream.
Engineers are looking at the possibility of cutting open the hull in three places or lifting the vessel into an upright position, the state broadcaster said.
But divers looking for survivors face extremely difficult conditions.
“The river water in the [area] where the accident happened is quite muddy and there is virtually no visibility,” Zhang Jianxin, vice-director of the transport ministry’s rescue department, said on CCTV.
“Divers can only rely on touch while submerging, searching and rescuing.”
Some 36 hours after the accident, hopes for more survivors are dwindling.
“We are in a race against the clock in the search,” transport minister Yang Chuantang said.
“It happened suddenly and the rescue has been quite difficult,” he said Tuesday as driving rain hampered the search. “As long as there is the slightest hope, we will make every effort and never give up.”
Relatives were also refusing to give up.
“I’m hoping for a miracle,” Tan Zhenxing, whose father worked on the boat, told the China Daily newspaper.
Grim images broadcast on CCTV showed what appeared to be a dead woman being pulled from the water, her body already rigid.
Later, the channel showed Premier Li Keqiang bowing to bodies covered in white sheet as rain poured down.
Fields around the site of the capsized boat were heavily waterlogged, and many of the pathways being used by rescue workers were ankle-deep in mud and rainwater.
Emergency vehicles heading out of a rescue centre set up on the riverside had to pass through deep water, and emergency crews laboured under heavy waterproof clothing and boots.
Passengers seemed to have little warning before the ship sank, with Zhang Hui, a 43-year-old tour guide on board, telling Xinhua that he had “30 seconds to grab a life jacket”.
The captain and chief engineer, who were among the survivors and were being questioned by police, both reportedly said the ship was caught in a freak storm.
A local man surnamed Wang said the storm on Monday night was the worst he had seen in years. Officials have described a tornado in the area around the time the ship sank, saying such a weather event is rare in the region.
“In recent decades, tornados take place once in five years on average. So it is a small probability event,” said Wu Cuihong, head of the Wuhan Central Meteorological station.
CCTV said the 250-foot (76.5-metre) vessel had floated three kilometres down river after it capsized in Jianli county, part of the central province of Hubei.
Condolences for the disaster came from the United States, European Union, the UN and the Vatican.
“I wish to express my closeness to the Chinese people in these difficult moments after the ferry disaster in the Yangtze River,” said Pope Francis.
“I pray for the victims, their families and for all involved in the rescue efforts.”
