The tragic capsizing of a river cruise ship in China's Yangtze River has now claimed 65 lives, with more than 370 people still missing.
Overnight, another 39 bodies were recovered from the ship. So far, only 14 survivors have been rescued, including the captain and the ship's chief engineer. Both are being detained by the police for questioning, according to Reuters.
Despite the slow pace of the rescue and the discouraging number of survivors, rescuers have still not given up their search of the ship. Li Qixiu of the Naval University of Engineering said that the manner of the ship's sinking may actually have saved a number of people inside, reported Reuters.
"The ship sank in a very short time frame, so there could still be air trapped in the hull," he said. "That means there could still be survivors."
About 80 family members of the ship's passengers, upset at the lack of information from the authorities, have taken it upon themselves to find answers. Breaking through a barrier of 20-25 paramilitary police officers, they marched into the site of the accident and demanded answers.
The chief of police in the area had previously stated that relatives are only allowed in the disaster site during the daytime.
Maritime agency records found that the ill-fated cruise ship, the Eastern Star, had been cited for safety violations two years ago, according to the Daily Mail. The many violations included potentially dangerous practices, such as failing to use the ship's automated identification systems.
Chongqing Easter Shipping, which owns the vessel, is one of the oldest cruise companies in China, and has been struggling lately to keep afloat amid competition from newer, fancier rivals.
