BEIJING: Chinese authorities hoisted the cruise ship ‘Eastern Star’ from water as the death toll in the deadly capsizing in Yangtze rose to 331 on Saturday.
Chinese media outlets said hundreds more bodies from the Eastern Star were found overnight and Saturday, bringing the death toll to 331.
Rescuers are searching the cabin of the ship, which was righted and raised on Friday, looking for more bodies.
The top floor of the four-level ship is the current focus of the search, but because of the level of damage it may take some time to complete, state television said.
Jiang Zhao, general manager of the company which operated the Eastern Star, bowed in apology for the disaster during an interview with state media reported late on Friday, saying they would “fully” cooperate with the investigation.
The Eastern Star disaster could become the country’s worst since the sinking of the SS Kiangya off Shanghai in 1948, which is believed to have killed anywhere from 2,750 to nearly 4,000 people.
Authorities have attributed the overturning of the cruise boat in the Yangtze River late Monday to sudden, severe winds, but also have placed the surviving captain and his first engineer under police custody.
