China Ship Sinks In Yangtze River, desperate search for survivors as one passenger is rescued after she was heard faintly knocking from her cabin.

Rescue workers carry a survivor from the hull of a capsized cruise ship on the Yangtze River in Jianli in central China’s Hubei province on June 2, 2015. Divers on Tuesday pulled survivors from inside the overturned cruise ship, state media said, giving some small hope to an apparently massive tragedy.

Death toll reaches 65 with hundreds still missing feared dead

  • Three holes cut in hull in pitch dark as rescuers work around the clock 
  • 350 people still missing as hopes of rescue start to fade
Rescuers have cut three holes into the hull of the capsized river cruise ship to continue to search for survivors from the Yangtze River disaster.
Hopes are fading of finding anyone else alive with the death toll - currently at 65 - expected to continue to rise as 350 passengers remain missing.

Poor weather has hampered rescue efforts with only three of the 14 confirmed survivors pulled by divers from air pockets inside the overturned hull after rescuers heard yells for help coming from inside.
Desperate search: A rescuer cuts through the hull of the Eastern Star as hopes begin to fade of finding anyone else alive
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Desperate search: A rescuer cuts through the hull of the Eastern Star as hopes begin to fade of finding anyone else alive
Sporadic bursts of torrential rain lashed the site of the sunken ship early today, complicating an operation which risked sending it further into the fast-moving Yangtze.
It was stabilised with cranes before workers cut into sections of the hull then welded them shut to preserve the ship's buoyancy and balance. 
At the same time, divers are working in three shifts underwater to search the ship's cabins one by one.
The Dongfangzhixing, or 'Eastern Star,' rapidly overturned late Monday on the Yangtze river in central China, during a severe storm. 
Remarkable pictures have emerged on Chinese media of the moment one survivor's son learned his mother was still alive. 
Zhu Hongmei, 65, was rescued by divers after she responded to hammer taps on the bottom of the boat. She survived in an air pocket in her cabin.  
Hopeful: Rescuers cut through the hull to search for survivors before welding it shut to aid the buoyancy of the stricken vessel

Hopeful: Rescuers cut through the hull to search for survivors before welding it shut to aid the buoyancy of the stricken vessel
Grim: A body is pulled from the wreckage of the upturned cruise ship which sank late Monday on the Yangtze river

Grim: A body is pulled from the wreckage of the upturned cruise ship which sank late Monday on the Yangtze river
Carried off: Rescuers remove a body from the stricken vessel as 65 people are currently confirmed dead in the disaster

Carried off: Rescuers remove a body from the stricken vessel as 65 people are currently confirmed dead in the disaster
Searching: An aerial view shows rescue workers standing on the sunken cruise ship Eastern Star in Jianli, Hubei province, China, today as efforts continue
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Searching: An aerial view shows rescue workers standing on the sunken cruise ship Eastern Star in Jianli, Hubei province, China, today as efforts continue
Fading hopes: Rescue efforts continue in China but there are fears only bodies are likely to be recovered from the Eastern Star, three days after it overturned in the Yangtze river

Fading hopes: Rescue efforts continue in China but there are fears only bodies are likely to be recovered from the Eastern Star, three days after it overturned in the Yangtze river
Tragedy: Workers pay their respects to a couple of victims that have been recovered from the Eastern Star

Tragedy: Workers pay their respects to a couple of victims that have been recovered from the Eastern Star
Before: The sunken cruise ship Eastern Star is seen on the Yangtze River in this undated picture before it capsized on Monday night 

Before: The sunken cruise ship Eastern Star is seen on the Yangtze River in this undated picture before it capsized on Monday night 
After entering the ship and groping their way through the murky water, frogmen calmed her down and gently talked her through how to use breathing apparatus and how they were going to get her to the surface. 
'My husband is also on the ship, but I couldn't find him,' Zhu said from hospital, her face streaming with tears.
Can Cen and his brother Can Feng recognised their mother Zhu as the video of her rescue played on TV. 
No-one has been recovered alive since Tuesday but Chinese officials have not yet declared the search over at the accident site in the Hubei Province. 
Dozens of medical workers were standing next to rescuers as they pulled out more bodies from the ship, earlier today.
Relatives of some of the hundreds of victims still unaccounted for, gathered near to the disaster site and wept on the shore after being barred entry to the mortuary to seek information about their loved ones.
Emotional: Cao Cen, son of survivor Zhu Hongmei, weeps as he looks at photos of his mother's rescue on a phone

Emotional: Cao Cen, son of survivor Zhu Hongmei, weeps as he looks at photos of his mother's rescue on a phone
Rescued: Zhu Hongmei was pulled out of the water alive after rescuers heard her tapping on the hull of the ship 

Rescued: Zhu Hongmei was pulled out of the water alive after rescuers heard her tapping on the hull of the ship 
Recovering: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visits Zhu Hongmei, a 65-year-old who was pulled from the overturned ship, at a hospital in Jianli County, central China's Hubei province

Recovering: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visits Zhu Hongmei, a 65-year-old who was pulled from the overturned ship, at a hospital in Jianli County, central China's Hubei province
Tears of joy: Cao Cen is overcome with emotion has he watches the video of his mother being rescued. She told media she had no idea about the fate of her husband, on board with her

Tears of joy: Cao Cen is overcome with emotion has he watches the video of his mother being rescued. She told media she had no idea about the fate of her husband, on board with her
Access to the site remains blocked by police and paramilitary troops stationed along the Yangtze embankment, and the only information coming out is from the state-run media.
Bodies have been taken to the Jianli's Rongcheng Crematorium, where at least two relatives of passengers arrived earlier today to try to identify loved ones.
Among the crowd observing developments outside the crematorium was farmer Wang Xun, who noted that many of the boats passengers were elderly.
'I can't imagine how terrifying it must have been for them,' Wang said. 'Old people should be with their families and go peacefully, not like this.'
The Eastern Star capsizing is likely to become the country's deadliest boat disaster in seven decades.
Alive: 21-year-old crew member Chen Shuhan is pulled out alive by divers and rescuers after a ship sank at the Jianli section of the Yangtze River

Alive: 21-year-old crew member Chen Shuhan is pulled out alive by divers and rescuers after a ship sank at the Jianli section of the Yangtze River
Lucky: Crew member Chen Shuhan is pulled onto the hull of the sunken cruise ship after being found by a diver, two days ago

Lucky: Crew member Chen Shuhan is pulled onto the hull of the sunken cruise ship after being found by a diver, two days ago
Treatment: The rescued crew member is rushed to a local hospital for treatment after spending hours trapped in the overturned boat

Treatment: The rescued crew member is rushed to a local hospital for treatment after spending hours trapped in the overturned boat
Grief: Relatives of passengers on the stricken Eastern Star face an agonising wait for news about loved ones

Grief: Relatives of passengers on the stricken Eastern Star face an agonising wait for news about loved ones
Anguish: Relatives weep as hopes fade of finding more survivors from China's deadliest boat disaster in 70 years

Anguish: Relatives weep as hopes fade of finding more survivors from China's deadliest boat disaster in 70 years
Chinese authorities have launched a high-profile response that has included sending Premier Li Keqiang to the accident site, while tightly controlling media coverage.
Many of the more than 450 people on board the multi-decked, 251-foot-long passenger ship were reported to be retirees taking in the scenic vistas of the Yangtze on a cruise from Nanjing to the southwestern city of Chongqing.
The survivors included the ship's captain and chief engineer, both of whom have been taken into police custody. 
Some relatives have questioned whether the captain should have brought the ship ashore at the first signs of a storm, and whether everything possible was done to ensure the safety of the passengers after the accident. 
Demands for help from officials in Nanjing and Shanghai have resulted in unruly scenes that have drawn a heavy police response.
Meanwhile, records from a maritime agency show the capsized ship was cited for safety violations two years ago. 
Authorities in Nanjing held the ship and five other Yangtze cruise vessels after it found them violating standards during a safety inspection campaign in 2013, according to a report on the city's Maritime Safety website. 

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