Ship Carrying 458 Sinks In China's Yangtze River; Survivors Yell For Help

A Chinese rescue team heads out to search for survivors of a passenger ship carrying more than 450 people which sunk in the Yangtze River, triggering a rescue effort hampered by strong winds and heavy rain off Jianli in China's Hubei province on June 2, 2015. STR / AFP/Getty Images

A Chinese ferry carrying 458 people on the Yangtze River sank on Monday night after getting stuck in a cyclone. Hundreds are feared dead, and rescue workers are scrambling to reach survivors stuck inside their cabins.

The ship, called the Dongfangzhixing, or Eastern Star, carried 405 Chinese passengers, 47 crew members and five travel agency employees on a 930-mile route from the eastern city of Nanjing to the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, according to the official New China News Agency. Most of the passengers were elderly tourists, ages 50 to 80.

Nearly all of the news about the sinking has come from state media, which on Tuesday ran conflicting estimates on the number of people rescued, ranging from a dozen to more than 30. At least five people have been confirmed dead, according to the state broadcaster CCTV. Rescue workers told the broadcaster that they heard survivors in the ship’s hull yelling for help.

The boat’s captain and chief engineer, both of whom made it to shore, have been taken into police custody.

The ship sank on Monday at 9:30 p.m. in the Damazhou waterway section of the Yangtze, the world’s third-longest river. The section has a depth of about 50 feet, according to the New China News Agency, and in pictures posted online, the hull was visible just above the water’s surface.

According to state media, President Xi Jinping “issued important instructions immediately” to dispatch a major search and rescue effort to the scene in Hubei province. As of Tuesday morning, Premier Li Keqiang was en route to the scene.

The rescue effort involves 150 boats and more than 3,000 people, including 2,100 soldiers, according to the news agency.

Pictures posted online showed rescue workers in army fatigues and orange safety vests deploying small boats and standing on the ferry’s capsized hull. The rescue attempt has been obstructed by fog and rain, local news media reported.

Relatives of those on board have gathered outside of Xiehe Travel’s Shanghai office, demanding more information. A company representative contacted by the Los Angeles Times refused to comment on the incident. The company's office was closed on Tuesday, according to the BBC.

The ship was owned by the state-run Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corp. Rescuers told the New China News Agency that it was “not overloaded” and was “equipped with sufficient life jackets” when it sank.

The Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily said the ship sank in about two minutes amid 40-mph winds and drifted for about two miles before coming to rest. Seven people then swam to shore and alerted police about the sinking.