Relatives express their grief for loved ones who perished
Print Edition
Ships sounded their horns for three minutes yesterday while rescuers bowed in silence to honor the victims of the Yangtze River disaster.
Meanwhile, specialists began working on DNA samples from relatives to identify the dead.
The death toll from last Monday’s capsizing of the Eastern Star cruise ship last night rose to 432 with 10 people still missing.
Only 14 survivors, among them the captain and his chief engineer, have been found since the ship with 456 people on board overturned in a freak tornado in the Jianli section of the river in central China’s Hubei Province. Most of the passengers were elderly tourists.
The four-story ship was righted and raised last Friday, allowing rescuers to enter, clear away debris and break down cabin doors in their search for bodies.
The river is being swept as far away as Shanghai in the hunt for those still missing, according to the rescue headquarters.
Yesterday was the seventh day since the disaster and, according to Chinese tradition, a key date on which to mourn the dead.
State television showed rescue workers and government officials standing in rows on a barge facing the battered boat, removing their hats and bowing their heads, as the boats surrounding the scene sounded their horns.
Transport Minister Yang Chuantang presided over the ceremony on the huge crane vessel that had been used to pull the Eastern Star up, saying simply: “Please observe silence.”
Rescue diver Guan Dong said: “We are all here with families of victims to go through the pain of losing their loved ones with them.”
Families of the victims prayed for their loved ones on the riverbank or at their hotels in Jianli, Xinhua news agency reported.
On the riverbank, Guan Yuan held a picture of her parents. The first long trip her parents took after retirement turned out to be their last.
“My parents rarely traveled to save money for my education,” she said.
On the day before they boarded the ship, her mother sent her an e-mail hoping that Guan would get married soon, and saying how much she was looking forward to looking after grandchildren.
“I wish this was a nightmare, but nothing happens when I wake up,” Guan said.
Relatives of the victims lit candles, threw chrysanthemums into the river, and called out the names of the lost.
Wu Jianqiang, 58, was one of the survivors, but he lost his wife in the disaster.
“I know you will not come back, but I really hoped I could see you one last time,” he cried out.
A man surnamed Yin has lost four relatives in the disaster. He knelt down, saying: “Mom, how could you leave me alone? I have so many important moments in my life to share with you.”
Wang Hua, who had lost her parents, said that the couple had been enjoying their retirement.
Her 77-year-old father, a former judge, made sure they traveled each year, and they had been all around China’s mainland and to Taiwan.
“They were just ordinary people. Their biggest concern was being an inconvenience for others,” Wang told reporters.
Fu Hongli, who lost his brother and nephew, said: “My brother traveled all the time. There’s no point just milling about at home when you’re retired.”
The kindness and support of local people gave some warmth to those in grief. Qu Zhigang, an organizer of volunteers in Jianli, said: “We hope that the dead can rest in peace.”
Vice Premier Ma Kai extended his condolences on Saturday to relatives of the victims, asking that whatever help relatives might need, including psychological counselling and a thorough investigation, be provided as soon as possible.
People were grieving and mourning online too. “Hopefully there is no storm and horror in heaven. Hopefully those who are alive will understand better the meaning of life,” was one online comment.
Government spokesman Hu Kaihong told reporters yesterday that DNA tests were being carried out to identify the bodies.
He also said that the search for those still missing was being expanded from the disaster site as far east as Shanghai, more than 1,000 kilometers away.
Authorities have attributed the overturning of the cruise ship to a freak storm, but have also placed the captain and his first engineer in police custody.
The boat was on a cruise from Nanjing to the southwestern city of Chongqing.
Relatives have raised questions about whether the ship should have continued its voyage after the storm began and despite a weather warning earlier in the evening.
The Eastern Star incident is China’s worst maritime disaster since the sinking of the SS Kiangya off Shanghai in 1948, which is believed to have killed anywhere from 2,750 to nearly 4,000 people.
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