DONG FANG ZHI XING

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Probe in sinking unleashed

The Chinese government unleashed a probe in order to carry out an investigation regarding the "Dong Fang Zhi Xing" capsizing. The State Council assembled a team of 60 officials, with the State Administration of Work Safety leading the way. Senior officials from Chinese ministries, including water resources, transport, industry, civil affairs, information technology, public security were to take part in the investigation process. Law and meteorology experts were to also give their assistance, along with Chongquing and Hubei officials and the China Meteorological Administration. Officials collected interviews with surviving passengers, members of the vessel’s crew and witnesses, that amassed to over 200 documents with a total exceeding 500,000 characters. People who were employed in the transportation, travel agencies and the ship’s overall design and maintenance also took park in the creation of the document, which was to be used to help the investigation process. The reasons behind the accident were thought to be quite complicated and they were to be determined by performing some simulating experiments and giving the proper scientific assessment.

Search ended - death toll at 442

The death toll from the sinking of the "Dong Fang Zhi Xing" was confirmed as 442 on June 13, as the final bodies were found. All of the dead have now been identified using DNA testing and the bodies have been transferred to relatives. So far 426 bodies have been cremated, in line with Chinese custom. Earlier reports that 14 people had survived out of 456 had been revised after further check-ups and verifications. The final toll came after search and rescue personnel last week held a solemn ceremony for the dead after distraught relatives from across China gathered near the disaster site. Search and rescue operations have now been ended.

Wreck moved upstream

On June 10 the "Dong Fang Zhi Xing" was moved 10 kilometers upstream from the site where the vessel sank in the Yangtze River. At around 10 a.m., it was pulled by a tugboat to calmer waters and away from the site where it sank on the night of June 1, killing 434 people onboard. Officials feared it would suffer further damage from heavy rains and strong winds common during the Yangtze River flood season. Removing the ship from the edge of the main channel also facilitated navigation on the Yangtze. Rescuers patched leaks in the hull and moved 10 tonnes of sand bags to the starboard side of the ship to prevent it from tilting to port on June 9. Then the vessel was moved dozens of meters upstream to allow divers to search for victims. Families of the victims were invited to claim belongings of the victims today at a funeral parlor in Jianli County in central Hubei Province. Workers have numbered and registered more than 320 items collected from the ship and surrounding area. As of June 11, a total of 342 victims have been identified through DNA matching. About 170 legal medical experts and technicians were in Jianli, Jingzhou and Wuhan in Hubei province, working to identify all bodies recovered from the accident. Reports with photos and video: http://www.ecns.cn/2015/06-10/168789.shtml http://english.cntv.cn/2015/06/12/VIDE1434056641247617.shtml