President of Kazakhstan sent a telegram of condolences to the President of the People&rsquos Republic of China in connection with the tragic overturning of Eastern Star ferry on the Yangtze River, Tengrinews reports citing the press service of Akorda.
President of Kazakhstan sent a telegram of condolences to the President of the People&rsquos Republic of China in connection with the tragic overturning of Eastern Star ferry on the Yangtze River, Tengrinews reports citing the press service of Akorda.
Nursultan Nazarbayev reacted with deep sorrow to the news of the accident that caused numerous human casualties.
"Sharing the irreparable loss of the friendly Chinese people, on behalf of all the Kazakhstani people and myself, I herewith express condolences to the families of those killed and wish a speedy recovery to those injured in this tragic event," the telegram said.
On June 1 this year, the overturning of the ferry in China's Hubei province became one of the deadliest ship accidents of the recent decades. The cruise was following a route from Nanjing to Chongqing in the southwest of China.
At the time of the accident, there were 456 people on board, of them 405 passengers, 46 crew members and five employees of travel agencies. On June 5 the emergency services were able to raise the vessel to the surface.
Surviving passengers said the ship sank in 30-60 seconds. Most of the people who survived jumped out into the water when the ferry started to overturn. Only 14 passengers were saved.
By Dinara Urazova