Asia Pacific, China Chinese tourist ship carrying hundreds sinks on river

Chinese tourist ship carrying hundreds sinks on river

At least 20 people rescued after vessel with more than 400 people on board sinks on Yangtze River in southern China.

01 Jun 2015 23:32 GMT | Asia Pacific, China

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  Asia Pacific

  Chinese tourist ship carrying hundreds sinks on river

  At least 20 people rescued after vessel with more than 400 people on board sinks on Yangtze River in southern China.

  01 Jun 2015 23:32 GMT | Asia Pacific, China
  A tourist ship carrying more than 400 people has sunk on the Yangtze River in southern China, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
  More than 20 people have been rescued, including the captain, who said the incident on Monday evening was caused by a hurricane, according to media reports.
  About 40 crew were on board the Oriental Star in addition to the passengers.
  The ship was en route from Nanjing to Chongqing when it sank at Jianli in Hubei province.
  More than 10 ships have arrived in the area to help with the rescue. Xinhua said rescue work was difficult due to bad weather, strong winds and heavy rain.
  President Xi Jinping asked that no efforts be spared in search and rescue operations, and Premier Li Keqiang travelled to the area.
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