China mourns victims of ship disaster
Chinese authorities have confirmed 434 deaths in the country's worst-ever ship disaster. The "Eastern Star" vessel with more than 450 people on board sank on the Yangtze River last week. Eight people are still missing.
Memorial service
Chinese officials, rescue workers and family members of the ill-fated "Eastern Star" cruise ship gathered on Sunday, June 7, to pay tribute to the victims of the disaster. Only 14 survivors, one of them the captain of the ship, have been rescued. Rescuers have recovered most of the dead bodies, Chinese state media reported Sunday. Transport Minister Yang Chuantang presided over the ceremony.
From Nanjing to Chongqing
The "Eastern Star" cruise ship sank overnight on Monday, June 1, near Jianli in China's Hubei province. Most of the passengers were senior citizens aged between 50 and 80, traveling from the eastern city of Nanjing to Chongqing in the southwest.
Rising death toll
Rescue teams recovered two more bodies on Monday, June 8, bringing the death toll to 434. Officials told reporters on Sunday that the search was continuing and that they were working to match victims' DNA with blood samples provided by relatives.
Vessel hoisted
The ship was pulled upright by cranes on Saturday, June 6, after which rescuers searched for bodies inside the hull. Authorities said they planned to expand the search for the missing people as far east as Shanghai, more than 1,000 kilometers downstream from the disaster site.
Human error
The relatives of some passengers criticized the authorities for ignoring the possibility of human error in the disaster. They have also posted a petition on the social media service WeChat calling for the death penalty for the ship's captain.
No emergency signal
The ship was not overloaded or overcrowded and had sufficient life jackets on board for all the passengers, according to the Chinese Ministry of Transport. The vessel also reportedly sent no emergency signal after encountering a severe storm on the river.
Captain in custody
The captain of the ship was rescued after more than an hour in the water. He's currently in police custody, according to local reports. "Why did the captain leave the ship while the passengers were still missing?" Hunag Yan, whose father and husband were on the boat, told the Associated Press news agency. She also demanded that the government release the name list "to see who was on the boat."
Reports of clashes
According to the AFP news agency, clashes erupted between police and angry relatives over the weekend. The victims' families were frustrated over the lack of information about the missing passengers. "Is it necessary to treat the common people, one by one, as if you are facing some kind of formidable foe?" said Xia, whose sister and brother-in-law were aboard the ship.
Slow response?
Analysts say the scale of the disaster is unprecedented in China. At the same time, some claim rescue efforts were initially quite slow. Chinese officials deny the claims, and it's extremely difficult to verify any of them since the government is not allowing much information to come out from the scene. Local journalists are also not allowed to get close to the disaster site.
The cruise ship
Built in 1994, the vessel owned by the Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corporation was used for river tours to the scenic Three Gorges Canyon area along China's Yangtze River. It had the capacity to carry more than 500 passengers.