Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
JIANLI, China (AP) — China's premier is urging divers to keep searching for more survivors in a cruise ship that overturned last night in the Yangtze River.
The vessel had been listing heavily amid pounding rain before capsizing with 458 people aboard. Most are still missing. The country's official news agency says five people are confirmed dead, and at least 15 others were rescued -- including three who were pulled from the hull of the overturned ship.
It was carrying mostly elderly tourists when it overturned.
State broadcaster CCTV says the survivors included the ship's captain and chief engineer, and that they were both taken into police custody. They are quoted as saying the vessel sank quickly after being caught in what they described as a cyclone.
A woman whose husband may be among the missing is demanding to know why the captain left the ship while there were still people to be rescued.
%@AP Links
158-c-15-(Christopher Bodeen, AP correspondent)-"operation is continuing"-AP correspondent Christopher Bodeen reports some survivors have been pulled alive from inside the capsized ship, but hundred are feared drowned. (Chinese State media now say divers have pulled three people alive from the ship.) ((watch for possible dating; refers to fewer than 20 survivors)) (2 Jun 2015)
<<CUT *158 (06/02/15)££ 00:15 "operation is continuing"
160-c-16-(Christopher Bodeen, AP correspondent)-"spark of hope"-AP correspondent Christopher Bodeen reports Chinese divers have had some success. (Chinese State media now say divers have pulled three people from the ship alive.) (2 Jun 2015)
<<CUT *160 (06/02/15)££ 00:16 "spark of hope"
APPHOTO XHG815: Rescuers carry a survivor pulled from the capsized cruise ship on the Yangtze River in Jianli in central China's Hubei province Tuesday June 2, 2015. Divers on Tuesday pulled survivors from inside the overturned cruise ship, state media said, giving some small hope to an apparently massive tragedy with well over 400 people still missing on the river. (Chinatopix Via AP) CHINA OUT (2 Jun 2015)
<<APPHOTO XHG815 (06/02/15)££
APPHOTO XHG816: Rescuers help lift a survivor pulled from the capsized cruise ship on the Yangtze River in Jianli in central China's Hubei province Tuesday June 2, 2015. Divers on Tuesday pulled survivors from inside the overturned cruise ship, state media said, giving some small hope to an apparently massive tragedy with well over 400 people still missing on the river. (Chinatopix Via AP) CHINA OUT (2 Jun 2015)
<<APPHOTO XHG816 (06/02/15)££
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
