載400餘名老年遊客的東方之星客輪長江傾覆

一艘載有450多人的客船在湖北監利遇龍捲風傾覆，目前搜救工作正在進行中。

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.

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

中國官方媒體報道，一艘載有超過450人的遊船在中國南部的長江上遭遇風暴傾覆。

新華社稱，救援人員發現了傾覆的船隻，能夠聽到人們的呼救。

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.

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

它還指出，目前已有8人獲救。救援隊已開始對乘客展開營救。絕大部分乘客都是遊客。

正在前往湖北現場。

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

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.

新華社稱，四層客船東方之星號載有405名中國乘客，5名旅行社工作人員和47名船員。

該船從東部城市南京出發，前往西南部城市重慶。旅程長約1500公里。它在長江的監利縣大馬洲航段沉沒。

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

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.

該處水深約15米。

獲救人員中包括船長和輪機長，他們稱船隻遇到龍捲風後很快沉沒。

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

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

報道稱，救援工作因強風和大雨受阻。

新華社補充，命令湖北省省委人員指揮搜救行動。

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.

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

國有的中央電視臺稱該船爲重慶東方船務公司所有。該公司運營長江三峽地區的觀光旅遊。

BBC駐北京的喬·佛羅託稱，長江風景優美，非常有名，吸引了許多中國退休遊客。

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.

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

《人民日報》報道，船上大部分人都是50至80歲的遊客，他們參加了由一家上海公司組織的旅遊。

今年一月，一艘拖船試航時在江蘇張家港附近的長江傾覆，22人遇難。