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11/22/2024 11:11:02 am

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Hope Dwindles For China Ship Survivors As Death Toll Reaches 19; Boat Safety Problem Or Human Error?

An aerial view shows rescue workers searching on the sunken ship

(Photo : REUTERS/STRINGER) An aerial view shows rescue workers searching on the sunken ship at Jianli section of Yangtze River, Hubei province, China, June 2, 2015.

The Monday incident where a Chinese cruise ship capsized after going through a cyclone is quickly becoming the worst maritime disaster in China in 70 years. The death toll has grown to nineteen and hope is dwindling for survivors as divers continue to bring up bodies from the Eastern Star Wednesday.

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The ship capsized two days ago carrying 456 passengers. Only 14 people were known to have survived. There remains 420 people missing, most of whom are believed to be dead.

Passengers' relatives congregated at a Shanghai government office Tuesday, livid and demanding an explanation as to how the boat capsized and who else was on board. Some even scuffled with officials as they sought for answers, Reuters news agency reported.

Since the incident, questions emerged whether the four-decked ship was sufficient to withstand storms, according to The Washington Post.

The Monday night storm which overturned the boat had winds of up to 80 mph.

"Our shipbuilding and design have not taken into consideration extreme weather conditions such as storms and tornados when building ships used for inland rivers," according to Liu Shuguang, Deputy Director in the College of Economics at the Ocean University of China in Qingdao.

The public is also questioning whether human error played a part in the disaster. The captain reportedly continued cruising even with heavy weather while other vessels along the river dropped anchor.

The Eastern Star's captain and chief engineer were detained for questioning after they were rescued from the wreck.

The government has deployed more than 100 boats and 200 divers in search of survivors.

Also deployed were nearly 2,000 rescue workers who have not given up even while around 200 divers are experiencing difficulties searching for survivors with locked cabin doors in the boat.

Divers fear that cutting holes rashly could potentially burst air pockets possibly keeping survivors alive, reported Reuters.

On Tuesday, China Central Television reported that rescuers were considering turning the ship over. On Wednesday, they also mulled over using a giant crane to support the ship as they cut through the hull.

China's second top political leader, Premier Li Keqiang, has already made a trip to the site of the disaster in the Hubei province county in order to call for an "all-out," 24-7 recovery efforts, according to The New York Times.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government is concerned of the public turning against the authorities, which is why they discouraged local journalists from going to the disaster area.

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