China struggles to search for over 400 missing ship passengers

China's state broadcaster CCTV said 26 people have been confirmed dead and 14 others have been saved alive so far. China desperately continued to look for the missing passengers, many of them elderly tourists, with more than 200 divers searching the overturned Eastern Star and scores of boats being deployed around the scene of the accident in Jianli in Hubei Province. The search area in the 6,300-kilometer river, the world's third longest, has also been expanded up to 220 km downstream as many passengers could have been swept away from the scene, where it is about 15 meters deep, according to China's official media. But rescuers are facing difficulties, partly because of bad weather and fast-flowing murky waters, and the death toll from the accident on Monday night is most likely to rise significantly. It is believed most of them are still trapped inside the 2,200-ton vessel. But CCTV reported no banging for help was heard from inside the hull on Wednesday, unlike a day before. Chinese rescuers are cutting holes in the bottom of Eastern Star. Two crane vessels are already positioned near the vessel. There were 456 people aboard the 76.5-meter-long cruise ship -- 405 passengers, 46 crew members and five tour guides. The cause of the accident, which could be China's worst maritime disaster in about 70 years, remains unknown. The ship's captain and chief engineer, who were rescued, have been quoted by the official media as saying it capsized within about two minutes after being caught in a tornado. They are now reportedly in police custody for questioning. China's meteorological authorities have confirmed that a tornado had lasted 15 to 20 minutes around the area about the time of the accident. But it is unclear if it hit the four-level ship, which has been in service since 1994. Satellite data have indicated that the Eastern Star made a drastic change in its direction and headed downstream for several minutes before it capsized. Citing industry insiders, Chinese news outlet Caixin reported that the ship's upper cabins and fire prevention facilities had been remodeled several times by a group of design engineers who were not from its builder, and part of the changes made did not meet safety standards. China's official Xinhua News Agency said initial investigations have found that the vessel, owned by the state-owned Chongqing Wanzhou Dongfang Shipping Co., was not overloaded and was equipped with enough life jackets. Relatives of the Chinese passengers have started complaining that officials have only provided little valuable information about the fate of their loved ones. A woman from the eastern city of Nanjing who was looking for her family members near the rescue site criticized the official media's coverage of the tragedy that has been highlighting over and over how hard central and local government authorities are trying to overcome difficulties. "It is only aimed at showing the Chinese public that the government is doing its best," she said about Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's overseeing of rescue efforts from Tuesday in Jianli. China's propaganda authorities have ordered domestic news outlets not to carry out their own independent reporting on the accident, only permitting some reporters from major state-run media to access the site, apparently out of concern that public criticism of the government could intensify. Hundreds of Chinese police and paramilitary troops placed cordons around the scene of the accident, and they have also been blocking foreign reporters from doing their jobs, such as speaking to the relatives. The Eastern Star was bound for Chongqing in southwest China, after departing May 28 from Nanjing and making multiple stops on the way at scenic sites along the river. A cruise tour on the river, going through the Three Gorges, is becoming increasingly popular among Chinese people with more money to spend on leisure. Source: Kyodo