A passenger ship carrying 458 people, many elderly tourists, sank in China's Yangtze River during a storm and only 12 people had been rescued so far, state media said.The Eastern Star was heading to southwest China's Chongqing city from Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. It sank about 9.28pm on Monday (local time) in the Jianli section of the river.
Only five bodies have been recovered.
Premier Li Keqiang was heading to the scene of the accident in central Hubei province, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Xinhua, citing the Yangtze River navigation administration, said those rescued from the vessel included the ship's captain and engineer, who said the vessel sank rapidly after being caught in what it said was a cyclone. They have been detained by police for questioning.
Among those on board the ship were 406 tourists, aged from about 50 to 80, on a tour organised by a Shanghai tour group, and 47 crew members, the People's Daily said on its microblog.
The newspaper said the boat had the capacity to carry more than 500 people.
The Yangtze River navigation administration could not be reached for comment.
