Chinese investigators on Wednesday began an extensive probe with “multitude of first-hand evidence” to ascertain the cause of the country’s worst maritime disaster in nearly 70 years that claimed at least 442 lives.
Acting under orders of Prime Minister Li Keqiang, the 60-member strong investigation team will look at the conditions at the time of the Eastern Star’s sinking, the structure and retrofitting of the ship, its fitness to sail and sailors’ responsibility, and shipping safety supervision on the Yangtze River, among other aspects. Bodies of 434 passengers, mostly elderly Chinese tourists, were recovered and search was on for eight of those listed missing in China’s worst maritime disaster in almost 70 years. The missing persons are presumed dead.
The capsized Eastern Star boat, which was re-floated to search for the missing persons, was towed to 10 km upstream on Wednesday as it blocked navigation on the river.