Rescuers are cutting a hole in the upturned hull of the sunken ship, June 4, 2015. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
BEIJING, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities deployed more divers and rescue equipment as they escalated efforts to recover more than 370 people believed to be trapped inside a sunken ship in the Yangtze River.
Following are some key facts about the capsized ship.
LIVES
--65 were confirmed dead.
--14 have been rescued so far.
--More than 370 are still unaccounted for.
--Of those on board, most are elderly tourists aged 50 to 80.
ACCIDENT SCENE
--The water at the rescue scene is about 15 meters (nearly 50 feet) deep.
--Divers said there was virtually no visibility in the muddy water.
RESCUE
--As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, 2,097 rescuers and 202 divers have taken part in the mission.
--131 vessels and three salvage vessels have joined the rescue operation.
--The Three Gorges Dam, up stream from the accident site, has reduced the flow of water by more than half, from 17,200 cubic meters per second to just 7,000 cubic meters, to help the rescue effort.
--More than 300 taxis and private cars, with yellow ribbons attached, voluntarily transport relatives of the passengers for free.
