Rescuers take a rest on the bank where Eastern Star, the passenger ship capsized by a tornado, is berthed in the section of Jianli on the Yangtze River, central China's Hubei Province, June 6, 2015. (Photo : Xinhua)
The government lauched a probe to investigate the capsizing of the Eastern Star ship. A 60-member team was assembled by the State Council, to be led by the heads of the State Administration of Work Safety.
Included among those who will partake in the investigation are senior officials from Chinese ministries, including transport, water resources, civil affairs, industry, public security, and information technology.
Experts on law and meteorology will also join the investigation, along with officials from the provinces of Hubei and Chongqing, and the China Meteorological Administration.
The Eastern Star ship accident is China's worst maritime disaster in 70 years.
Interviews with surviving passengers, crew members and witnesses were collated into more than 200 documents consisting of over 500,000 characters. Those who worked in transportation, travel agencies, and the overall design and maintenance of the ship also contributed to the document, which is expected to help the investigation.
Every detail, video footage, evidence or eyewitness account is very crucial, as was stressed in a statement made by the administration.
"The reason behind the sinking is very complicated and has to be determined after scientific identification and necessary simulating experiments."
Amid the ongoing investigation, claim settlement work has been started by officials.
According to Xinhua News Agency, there are 323 items that can be claimed at the funeral home in Jianli, Hubei Province. These items, which include jewelry, toys, purses and suitcases, were said to have once belonged to the passengers.
On the other hand, the China Insurance Regulatory Commission has started paying out millions of yuans to the beneficiaries of 340 insurance policy holders. Out of the 92.52 million yuan payout, Eastern Star will collect 15.7 million yuan, while travel agencies get 12 million yuan.
The policies of the 396 passengers are expected to pay out over 60 million yuan. The remainder of the money will go to families and crew members.
