JUNE 7 (CCTV/Reuters) — The death toll from the sinking of a Chinese cruise ship on the Yangtze River during freak weather had climbed to 431 by 11:00 on Sunday, with 11 still unaccounted for, according to the rescue headquarters in Jianli, central China’s Hubei Province.
“According to the latest statistics, by 11:00 on June 7 (Sunday), 431 bodies of the victims had been retrieved; there are 14 survivors, and 11 still remained missing. Relative departments are matching the DNA samples. Search and rescue are continuing,” said Hu Kaihong, vice director-general of Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office.
Rescuers have extended their search scope to some 1,400 kilometers down the Yangtze River to find the missing people.
Ministry of Transport on Saturday required water traffic management departments, shipping companies, and boats to jointly search for the missing ones on the Yangtze River waters from Jianli, Hubei Province, where the ship sank, downstream to Wusong estuary in Shanghai.
Meanwhile, DNA samples of hundreds of relatives have been collected, and DNA matching with the victims is underway.
The 2,200-tonne ship was carrying 456 people on an 11-day trip along China’s biggest river when it was capsized by a tornado near Jianli on June 1.
More than 3,400 soldiers and 1,700 police together with 149 vessels and a helicopter have taken part in the search and rescue mission. (Courtesy China Central Television)