Chinese ferry boat sinking (caused by storm?)

Information about this ferry tragedy are still coming in. Just read this report about a possible storm contributing to the sinking of the vessel. Meteorologists note the winds exceeded 75mph and there may have been a possible tornado spawned as well.

Ref: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...rstorm-complex-tornado-capsized-chinese-ship/

There are also reports of the ship being cited for safety issues recently. If anybody has additional info feel free to post.

 

I've watched the reports coming in on this and it seems much like a lot of the "incidents' in this part of the world in recent decades, a grotesque lack of regulation, personal and governmental responsibility and really crappy design and inspection effort. It's sad, but not at all surprising and a typical commentary on the region in general. This is a problem all across every industry in the area. For what it's worth, you don't want to fly commercial airlines in the region either.

 

Reportedly, the vessel capsized during a freak tornado which brewed up Monday night. Estimates place the strength of the tornado at "Force 12", but it is unclear what scale is being used here.

http://gcaptain.com/eastern-star-owner-ordered-to-dock-and-disembark-2nd-vessel/

Other vessels in the Eastern Star fleet have been ordered to dock as soon as possible so further safety checks can be carried out. 14 survivors, including the captain and chief engineer, have been recovered so far, and salvage operations on the upturned hull have begun:

http://www.marinelink.com/news/righting-capsized-starts392466.aspx

Sadly, no further signs of survivors have been found since salvage operations began.

 

The Eastern Star has been righted, but no additional survivors have been found. A total of 103 bodies have been recovered so far, but only 14 are known to have survived, including the captain and chief engineer.

http://gcaptain.com/raising-the-eastern-star-china-cruise-ship-righted-but-hundreds-still-missing/

(Picture of the righted vessel at the link.)