China mourns as cruise ship death toll tops 400
Jun 07, – Rescuers bowed their heads and ships’ hooters blared in tribute Sunday to the victims of Communist China’s worst shipping disaster, as relatives of the 431 dead and 11 still missing spoke of their grief.
The solemn ceremony was held to remember the dead after the “Eastern Star” cruise ship carrying 456 people capsized late Monday on the Yangtze River in a storm.
Searchers in white hooded surgical suits could be seen on board the Eastern Star. Others in work gear, orange safety vests and military-style fatigues formed columns on the deck of a massive floating crane, one of three that had raised the ship on Friday.
The event, attended by Transport Minister Yang Chuantang, went ahead under grey and cloudy skies.
Officials on Sunday announced that the death toll had risen to 431, with another 11 people still missing.
Only 14 survivors have been confirmed out of all those aboard, who were mostly tourists aged over 60, after the ship capsized at night in Jianli country in the central province of Hubei.
In accordance with traditional custom, relatives of the dead should mourn loved ones on the seventh day by Chinese reckoning following their death.
Information about the sinking, and media access to the site and to relatives of passengers, has been tightly controlled. Online criticism of the search has been quickly deleted.
China’s stability-obsessed Communist rulers often try to contain anger over the official handling of disasters, fearing that it could spiral into dissent.
A petition posted by family members on the social media service WeChat has called for the death penalty for the ship’s captain — one of the few survivors of the disaster — who is in police custody.
But rather than anger or recriminations, relatives made available for interviews on Sunday spoke of their grief, regret and impossible hopes.
“I wish my father and mother would come back,” said Wang Hua, who lost her father Wang Xingkui and mother Li Yulin.
“I wish the whole thing was just made up. Even now, I still can’t believe it’s true,” she added, crying helplessly into her handkerchief.
Press journalist for HRO media – Norberto Lluch reports.
Category: International
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
