AFP,  JIANLI: Rescuers bowed their heads and ships' hooters blared in tribute Sunday to the victims of Communist China's worst shipping disaster, as relatives of the 431 dead and 11 still missing spoke of their grief. The solemn ceremony was held to remember the dead after the "Eastern Star" cruise ship carrying 456 people capsized late Monday on the Yangtze River in a storm. Searchers in hooded white suits could be seen on board the Eastern Star. Others in work gear, orange safety vests and military-style fatigues formed columns on the deck of a massive floating crane, one of three deployed to raise the ship on Friday. The event, attended by Transport Minister Yang Chuantang, went ahead under grey and cloudy skies. There were flowers and candles but it was unclear if any relatives attended.
Officials on Sunday announced that the death toll had risen to 431, with 11 people still missing. Only 14 survivors have been confirmed out of all those aboard, who were mostly tourists aged over 60, after the ship capsized at night in Jianli country in the central province of Hubei.
In accordance with custom, relatives of the dead should mourn loved ones on the seventh day by Chinese reckoning following their death. Information about the sinking, and media access to the site and to relatives of passengers, has been tightly controlled. Online criticism of the search has been quickly deleted. China's stability-obsessed Communist rulers often try to contain anger over the official handling of disasters, fearing that it could spiral into dissent. A petition posted by family members on the social media service WeChat has called for the death penalty for the ship's captain -- one of the few survivors of the disaster -- who is in police custody.