China: cruise ship sinks after tornado

Rescuers are desperate for survivors after a cruise ship sank last night in the Yangtze River in China. So far 18 of the 458 people on board were rescued and confirmed victims are five. Operations passenger

rescue survivors of the ferry (Reuters) "In just a minute or two it sank ': so the captain of the ship that sank expressed himself, speaking to the agency Xinhua what happened after he was rescued. Both he and the chief engineer of the ship - arrested by police - reported that on the night he unleashed a tornado that did turn the ship. The meteorological office has confirmed that at the time of the incident there were strong winds in the area, "up to 120 kilometers per hour," reports the newspaper "Hubei Ribao." In southern China, where the tragedy took place, the weather is often inclement this season and rescue operations are made difficult by the fog and rain. The vessel - a ship to transport passengers called Eastern Star - was carrying 406 passengers of Chinese nationality, five employees of the tourist agency that organized the cruise and 47 crew members. Most passengers are between 50 and 80 years of age. Six of them were rescued by divers who have found themselves trapped in the wreck of the ship. Teams of rescuers heard noises coming from inside the hull. Chinese media reported, adding that the divers have heard someone knocking from inside the boat.

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