Ship carrying hundreds sinks
A passenger ship carrying more than 450 people sank overnight in the Yangtze River during a cyclone in southern China, and eight people had been rescued, the official New China News Agency reported.
Further rescue work was underway but strong winds and rain were hampering the search, according to the news agency. The boat was going from Nanjing to the southern city of Chongqing when it sank in Hubei province, the report said.
The agency quoted the captain and chief engineer, who were both rescued, as saying the ship sank quickly after being caught in a cyclone.
It said the boat was carrying 405 Chinese passengers, five travel agency employees and 47 crew members.