A passenger ship carrying more than 400 people sank on Monday night in China's Yangtze River.
The ship, named Dongfangzhixing, or Eastern Star, sank at around 9.30 p.m. in the Jianli -- Hubei province -- section of the Yangtze River, Xinhua reported, citing the river navigation administration.
The captain and the chief engineer, who have been rescued, both claimed the ship sank quickly after being caught in a cyclone.
There were 405 Chinese passengers, five travel agency workers and 47 crew members aboard, according to the administration.
Eight people have been rescued so far.
It was headed towards south-west China's Chongqing city from Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu province.
Rescue work is being hampered by strong winds and heavy rain.
