Capsized boat lifted in east China

(Xinhua photo)

NANJING, Jan. 17 -- Rescuers have lifted a capsized tug boat to the surface of water from the Yangtze River in east China, 40 hours after it sank in a channel in Jiangsu Province.

The boat, coded "Wanshenzhou 67", was put upright with its upper part out of water at around 6:30 a.m. Saturday, after rescuers dragged it to the shallow waters some 100 meters off the bank on Friday afternoon, according to the Jiangsu Maritime Safety Administration (JMSD).

The boat, with twenty-five people on board, overturned while conducting tests in Fubei Channel, near Jingjiang City. Rescuers have so far saved three people.

On Saturday morning, local authorities published the names of those on board, including eight foreigners -- four Singaporeans, an Indonesian, a Malaysian, an Indian and a Japanese national. All of the 25 aboard the boat were men, according to the JMSD.

Temperature at the site reached about 1 degree Celsius (33.8 degrees Fahrenheit). Many family members were braving the cold at the bank on early Saturday morning as they waited for news of their loved ones. Some shed tears as they saw the upper part of the boat raised out of water.

About 30 professional vessels, including patrol boats and tug boats, were dispatched to search for the 22 missing people, but rescue efforts were hampered by the swift current and cold water. While stabilizing the boat last night, rescuers repeatedly knocked on the boat to detect signs of life, but got no response.

Wang Zhenkai, one of the three rescued, told Xinhua reporters that he was the interpreter for a 60-year-old Japanese engineer.

"Only the two of us were in the cockpit. We had just finished the load test of the boat's main engine when the vessel suddenly turned on its side. Water immediately flooded in," he said.

Wang, from Yantai City, Shandong Province, was saved at 5:36 a.m. after rescuers cut through the bottom of the boat. He has been hospitalized and is in stable condition.

Wang survived by clinging to a hydraulic pump. He said he grabbed the Japanese engineer, but later the current broke their grasp as the boat started to sink.

The 30-meter-long boat, with a weight of 368 tonnes, was built by Anhui Bengbu Shenzhou Machinery Co. Ltd. in October. The company did not report the vessel's route or testing plans to port authorities.