东方之星客轮长江倾覆 载400余名老年游客

A cruise ship carrying more than 450 people has capsized after being caught in a storm on the Yangtze River in southern China, says state media.

中国官方媒体报道，一艘载有超过450人的游船在中国南部的长江上遭遇风暴倾覆。

The Xinhua news agency said rescuers had spotted the upturned boat and could hear people calling for help.

新华社称，救援人员发现了倾覆的船只，能够听到人们的呼救。

It said eight people had been rescued so far and rescue teams have been heading out in boats to save the passengers, most of them tourists.

它还指出，目前已有8人获救。救援队已开始对乘客展开营救。绝大部分乘客都是游客。

Premier Li Keqiang is travelling to the scene in Hubei province.

李克强正在前往湖北现场。

The four-tier Dongfangzhixing - or Eastern Star - had been carrying 405 Chinese passengers, five travel agency employees and 47 crew, Xinhua said.

新华社称，四层客船东方之星号载有405名中国乘客，5名旅行社工作人员和47名船员。

It was travelling from the eastern city of Nanjing to Chongqing in the south-west - a journey about some 1,500km (930 miles) - when it sank in the Damazhou section of the Yangtze in Jianli county.

该船从东部城市南京出发，前往西南部城市重庆。旅程长约1500公里。它在长江的监利县大马洲航段沉没。

The water there is about 15m (50ft) deep.

该处水深约15米。

The captain and the chief engineer, who are among those rescued, were quoted as saying that the ship had been caught in a cyclone and sank quickly.

获救人员中包括船长和轮机长，他们称船只遇到龙卷风后很快沉没。

Rescue work was being hampered by strong winds and heavy rain, the report said.

报道称，救援工作因强风和大雨受阻。

Mr Li has ordered a team from the state council to lead the search and rescue operation, Xinhua added.

新华社补充，李克强总理命令湖北省省委人员指挥搜救行动。

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said the vessel was owned by the Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corporation which runs tours to the scenic Three Gorges river canyon area along the Yangtze river.

国有的中央电视台称该船为重庆东方船务公司所有。该公司运营长江三峡地区的观光旅游。

The BBC's Jo Floto in Beijing said that stretch of the Yangtze is known for its beauty and attracts many Chinese retiree holidaymakers.

BBC驻北京的乔·佛罗托称，长江风景优美，非常有名，吸引了许多中国退休游客。

Those on board had mostly been tourists aged around 50 to 80 on a tour organised by a Shanghai company, the People's Daily reported.

《人民日报》报道，船上大部分人都是50至80岁的游客，他们参加了由一家上海公司组织的旅游。

Twenty-two people died on the river in January, when a tugboat undergoing tests capsized near Zhangjiagang, in Jiangsu province.

今年一月，一艘拖船试航时在江苏张家港附近的长江倾覆，22人遇难。