CCTV9英语新闻：Questions raised over cause of Eastern Star disaster

The sinking of the Eastern Star is raising many important questions about what went wrong. With the captain and chief engineer still in police custody, a clear answer is hard to come by. But friends and families, as well as the general public, are asking what else could have happened on the night of June the first besides bad weather.

 

The cruise ship was traveling at night in fog and rain...soon to become China's worst maritime disaster in decades.

 

A sudden worsening of weather - heavy rainfall, and what meteorologists in China are calling a "strong and violent tornado" hit the area.

 

Local authorities in Hubei issued multiple weather warnings, including this one against dangerous sailing, issued less than an hour before the Eastern Star sank.

 

"All navigating ships, according to observations, a heavy storm is expected in the regions within the jurisdiction of Jianli County and will affect navigation. All vessels are adviced to strengthen communication and act with caution. Drop anchor when necessary," sound of ship radio weather alert.

 

It's not clear whether the captain, 52-year-old Zhang Shunwen, received the warning, or if he did, whether he chose to ignore them.

 

His colleagues described him as "technically skilled" and "reliable."

 

In his testimony, Zhang said when what he called a "freak tornado" struck, he made a sharp right turn to face the wind. He said this would help maintain stability, but his last-minute maneuver apparently failed... and the ship capsized, one survivor claims, "within a minute."

 

This could explain why no emergency signal was sent. But questions are being asked about the lack of an automatic alarm system.

 

"No. From the information we've got, there was no such automatic alarm system on the ship which could automatically send out a signal in the time of emergency," said Li Jiang, deputy director of Changjiang Maritime Safety Administration.

 

And no data recorders to help investigate the cause of the tragedy.

 

"That's what we call a VDR, but in China, only sea-craft are required to install this device. There is no compulsory requirement for boats in inland waters to have one. And there was no such device in the capsized ship," Li said.

 

If bad weather is to blame, it remains unclear why the Eastern Star was the only ship to capsize on a busy section of the Yangtze River.

 

What happened on the fateful night as the ship sailed towards disaster?

 

With only 14 survivors and little data, a conclusion may be hard to come by, as friends and families of the deceased continue to struggle to make sense of their loss.