Rescuers cut open part of an overturned ship in China and brought three persons ashore as they battled strong winds and downpour to hunt for the missing from the capsize due to a cyclone in Asia's longest river Yangtze in Hubei province with 458 people on board.
Divers, who just rescued a 20-year-old man from the ship, said it took them a long time to get out due to the four- storey Eastern Star's complicated structure.
So far, a total of 15 people have been rescued from the capsized ship, and another five were confirmed dead, while the fate of the remaining 438 is still not known.
Rescuers said there could be more survivors, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Premier Li Keqiang is supervising the rescue work from a boat nearby as rescuers are battling strong winds and downpour to hunt for the missing.
A maritime rescue centre in Yueyang reported they received a call from a boat, saying they saw two persons struggling in the storm on the river at 10:10 pm yesterday.
The centre immediately sent a patrol boat to assist following which the two were rescued at 11:51 pm.
The ship, measuring 76.5 metres long, 11 metres wide and 3.1 metres deep could carry up to 534 people.
Tickets for the cruise cost between 1,098 yuan (USD 177) to 2,298 yuan. Each room has air-conditioning, a private bathroom and TV.
Passengers are allowed to visit attractions during the daytime and return in the evening as the ship travels to the next port overnight.
The agency arranging the tour marketed it toward senior citizen group travel.
Yesterday, tourists visited Chibi, or Red Cliffs, which is a famous ancient battlefield.
Today, had the accident not occurred, the tourists would have visited Jingzhou City, which boasts of China's best preserved ancient walls.
Families of the passengers in the shipwreck gathered at the travel agency's outlet in Nanjing, which shut its doors today, leaving a notice asking people to contact the ship company for more information of those aboard the vessel.
A woman surnamed Yuan said her mother-in-law joined the tour along with three of her friends.
She heard of the accident via the Internet and came to the agency at 6 am but could not find anybody to speak with.
The Nanjing Municipal Tourist Commission has settled the families of shipwreck passengers in a local hotel and is planning to bring them to the rescue scene.
