Yangtze sinking: Rescued from air pockets under water

Several survivors in air pockets have been pulled out from the capsized ship

As rescue work continues at the Eastern Star cruise ship which capsized in the Yangtze River, extraordinary stories are emerging from survivors.

So far only 14 people are known to have escaped, including several pulled out by divers from inside the hull, long after the ship overturned.

Air pocket drama

Chen Shuhan was wrapped in a thick blanket as he was carried onshore

Chen Shuhan, a 21-year-old crew member, had an almost improbable escape. He found himself stuck in an air pocket when the ship capsized. He was found the next day, by rescue diver Guan Dong on Tuesday.

"The bottom of the ship had a layer of air cushion, which was 1.5 to 2m thick," Mr Guan told China Central Television (CCTV). "The victim was sitting on a water pipe in the upside down ship bottom."

Mr Guan gave Mr Chen his own specialised equipment to go back into the water and reach the surface, accompanied by other divers. Mr Guan himself was left with equipment meant for shallow dives.

He told reporters he was then swept by undercurrents to even deeper depths.

With air in his tank running out, Mr Guan decided to rapidly swim to the surface from 30m below. He emerged with reddened eyes, ringing ears, and a severe nosebleed.

Mr Guan had earlier found Zhu Hongmei, a 65-year-old passenger, trapped in another air pocket. He quickly taught her how to use diving equipment, and took her to the surface.

Local media splashed Mr Guan's pictures online, while netizens lauded his bravery. "He's both handsome and kind," said Weibo user Meibaba.

Mr Guan (with green goggles) had helped to locate Ms Zhu who was trapped in the ship

Saved by his wife

Wu Chengqiang escaped from the ship before anyone on land knew it had gone done - he is believed to be the first person to raise the alarm.

The 58-year-old, a passenger on board, told Changjiang Daily that the boat capsized "within a minute" and his wife had helped him to safety.

She is still missing.

Mr Wu made it to shore and continued walking in the darkness for about half an hour until he spotted lights from a nearby cargo ship and attracted the crew's attention.

"They saw I wasn't wearing any clothes and it was raining heavily, and asked if I needed a raincoat.

"I just said, 'Don't worry about me - you must quickly call the police, a boat has capsized just ahead'," he said.

He boarded the cargo ship and crew members called the police and maritime authorities, who later rescued two other Eastern Star passengers found in the water.

Mr Wu broke down in front of reporters as he talked about this wife. "I never thought that I would end up losing her on this holiday," he said.

Rescue workers worked throughout Tuesday night and into Wednesday

Floating to safety

Zhang Hui was rescued on Tuesday after floating for 10 hours clinging to a life jacket.

The 43-year-old worked for Xiehe Travel, the company through which most of the passengers had booked their trip.

He told the Xinhua state news agency that he was in his room at around 9.20pm when a storm hit. "It was tilting very badly, maybe at around a 45-degree angle," he said, before capsizing "incredibly fast".

He and his colleague grabbed life jackets and floated to the nearest window to escape. By then, the water was up to their necks.

He can't swim, but spent the night floating in the river as the storm continued to rage, struggling to keep afloat as waves swamped him four times. A passing ship failed to spot him.

"I told myself, I just needed to hold on and everything would be okay," he said.

At dawn, Mr Zhang made it to the shoreline. He staggered to the nearest jetty where he received help.

Investigation

Li Yongjun, the captain of the freighter Tonggonghua 666 that passed Eastern Star shortly before it capsized, told Xinhua news agency that he experienced fog-like conditions and that the rain interfered with his radar "so you couldn't make anything out".

He said the weather was so bad that at around 9.30pm - the time when Eastern Star capsized - Mr Li had to anchor his ship on the north shore.

Forty minutes later, he heard people crying out for help, and spotted at least one person in the river clutching a life ring. "The rain was just too heavy, there was no way to mount a rescue, so I shouted over 'Swim to the bank!'," he said.

Much of the public attention in China has been on the Eastern Star's captain, Zhang Shunwen, and chief engineer Yang Zhongquan.

The two were rescued on Monday night. The captain was dragged out of the water just before midnight. The two have since been detained by police for questioning.

They say the ship ran into difficulties after it hit a cyclone, but relatives of passengers and others online have questioned why they were able to escape so swiftly and without alerting those on board.

"Why didn't the captain raise the alarm the moment the ship began to run into difficulties?" wrote Weibo user Airisland123.