A passenger ship carrying 458 people, many elderly Chinese tourists, sank in the Yangtze River in a storm late on Monday and only about 20 had been rescued so far, state media said, in what could be one of China's worst disasters for years.
Rescue workers carry a boat to conduct a search after a ship sank at the Jianli section of Yangtze River.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered that no efforts be spared in rescue work, although the official Xinhua news agency said bad weather was making rescue efforts more difficult.
Premier Li Keqiang was heading to the scene of the accident in central Hubei province, Xinhua said on Tuesday.
Xinhua, citing the Yangtze River navigation administration, said those rescued from the Eastern Star included the ship's captain and engineer, who said the vessel sank quickly after being caught in what it said was a cyclone.
State radio reported that the ship sank within about two minutes and that no distress call had been issued. About 20 people had been rescued, Xinhua said later on Tuesday.
(Source: Reuters)