A Chinese cruise ship accident earlier this week has the potential to go down in history as one of China’s deadliest maritime accidents. Amidst reported winds of up to 80 miles per hour, the Eastern Star cruise ship capsized on the Yangtze River in China.
Rescue Efforts Continue for Missing Passengers from Chinese Cruise Ship Accident
The ship was carrying 456 people at the time that it flipped over. Rescue efforts continue, but there are only 14 confirmed survivors at this point. Many of the survivors were able to escape the ship and swim to shore. Sadly, 26 bodies have already been removed from the ship, and there are over 400 people who are believed to still be on board.
Making the situation for rescuers all the more harrowing, many of those who were onboard the ship were elderly, most of whom were between the ages of 50 and 80.
Potential Cause of Chinese Cruise Ship Accident
As for the cause of the accident, the early opinion is that it was due to the ship not being designed for the winds that it encountered (which have been described as being cyclone-level). The Eastern Star was a shallow-draft vessel that was not meant for the same conditions as one that would travel in the ocean.
As one commentator explained:
“The river ships tend to have a lower standard on wind-resistance and wave-resistance than ocean ships…Under the special circumstance of cyclone, the pressure on the one side of the boat went beyond the standard it was designed for, resulting in the overturning of the boat.”
Whatever the cause of the accident, the final injury toll and loss of life will be immense. One can only hope that positive progress will be made in the efforts to rescue the ship’s passengers and many more of those still onboard the ship can be saved.
