Eastern Star captain says ship hit by strong gust and capsized as it turned to face wind

The captain of the Eastern Star said he was attempting to steer into the best position to resist strong winds on the Yangtze River when a sudden surge of wind capsized the passenger ship.

Zhang Shunwen told the state news agency Xinhua that a gentle to moderate breeze of between 12-28km/h was blowing from the south before the accident on Monday night.

“I attempted to move the ship to leeward [downwind] and move towards north, but the wind suddenly become stronger and I lost control of the hull,” he said.

Zhang, 52, has been captain of the Eastern Star since 2007. He is at the centre of an investigation over why the ship capsized, with questions mounting about whether he should have remained onboard to help evacuate passengers and crew and why he did not raise an alarm when the weather deteriorated.

Zhang, who has been described by colleagues as professional, experienced and honest, was arrested upon being rescued after floating in the river for two hours. His wife, Bo Ming, who was in charge of the ship’s service crew, was also onboard and is missing.

Yang Zhongquan, the ship’s chief engineer, said the accident happened within two minutes. He recalled that when he came back from patrolling the deck, water poured into the ship, the lights went out and the ship rolled.