Dozens More Bodies Recovered from ChinaCapsized Cruise Ship

(MENAFN- QNA) Dozens more bodies were recovered from a cruise ship that capsized on the Yangtze River carrying over 450 people, state media reported Thursday, as rescuers began to cut into the ship's hull for the first time in the search for survivors.

Thirty-nine more bodies were pulled from the capsized ship, the Eastern Star, bringing the confirmed death toll to 65, according to a tweet from state-run broadcaster CCTV. So far, 14 people have been rescued alive after the ship sank in bad weather in Jianli in Hubei province on Monday evening. Most of the passengers on board were reported to be Chinese citizens in their 60s and 70s. 

Rescuers were planning to cut a rectangular hole into the hull of the ship in order to reach more possible survivors, official Xinhua news agency reported, quoting rescue officials at the site.