CCTV9英语新闻：东星幸存者讲述死里逃生的悲剧

Only 14 people survived the Eastern Star tragedy, and they faced a narrow escape and clung to life for hours before being rescued.

 

Zhang Hui is one of the 14 known survivors of the Eastern Star disaster. 

 

Local villagers found him by the riverside of Hunan's Liulinzhou town, 9 hours after the ship overturned. He had drifted more than 30 kilometers downstream in the Yangtze river.

 

He is now recovering after days of treatment. 

 

"I'm recovering. It’s getting better every day. I can now get out of bed and move around a little. I'm trying to adjust myself according to the doctors' orders," he said.

 

Zhang said many people fell into the water when the incident happened, so there could be others who drifted down the river like he did.

 

The government has deployed nearly 10-thousand rescuers and set up 27 search and rescue centers. With more than 500 ships taking part, the search operation continues day and night without rest.

 

"We are mainly searching backwater areas and moors. There is hope as long as we keep searching day and night," said Wang Yuhe, head of Yueyang Boat Bridge, Hunan Armed Police. 

 

Volunteers and villagers around the city have also been participating in the search. Many hotels in Yueyang have been offering free food and accommodation for rescuers and families of the victims.

 

As of Saturday morning, 2 survivors had been rescued in waters near Yueyang city, and another 21 bodies had been found there.

 

For now there's still hope, though, and the search goes on.