Relatives of missing passengers in Chinese cruise ship tragedy outraged over official silence
Shanghai government accused of failing to offer any assistance or information
Families of the Shanghai tourists missing since their ship capsized in the Yangtze River expressed outrage last night over what they said was the city government's failure to offer any response to the tragedy.
About 100 people gathered at the petition office of Zhabei district after the authorities told them to wait there for any updates.
One anxious relative, Ji Fumin, said he had not received any reply to inquiries about progress in the rescue operation, or what families should do at this stage. His wife, her sister-in-law and a friend were on board the ship.
"I heard the news from the media this morning and I went to the office of Xiehe Travel only to find its door closed and a notice saying we should call the Hubei Marine Affairs Bureau. But the bureau can't be reached by phone," Ji told the . Xiehe is the company that organised the tour aboard the Eastern Star, which capsized during severe weather at around 9.30pm on Monday.
Ji said he went to the Shanghai municipal government and was told to check with the Zhabei authorities because the agency was located in that district.
"We have been waiting here for so many hours … Officials didn't give us any food or water during the day," he said.
Relatives said their frustration only grew after learning authorities in Nanjing , the provincial capital of Jiangsu where more than 200 passengers came from, acted swiftly by arranging for relatives to travel to Hubei province, where the accident occurred. Among the 456 people on board, 97 were Shanghai tourists, many of them aged above 50. Xiehe Travel had marketed the trip to the elderly.
