More than one hundred of the 312 passengers and crew aboard the ship "Dashun" have been found dead. Another one hundred or so are reported missing near the port city of Yantai in east China's Shandong Province.

Rescue workers said that a total of 36 passengers have been rescued. Wu Guanzhong, secretary of the Provincial Communist Party of China Committee, was on the spot directing the rescue work. More than 5,000 people have been mobilized.

The ship, belonging to a Shandong shipping company, caught fire and was forced to turn back Wednesday afternoon as it headed for the port of Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning Province. The vessel sent out distress signals when flames were discovered at 4: 30 pm.

At the time of the accident, the temperature is around zero degree, and the 6-7 degree gale and heavy snow made rescue operations difficult.

The 126-meter-long ship "Dashun" was built in 1983. It has a sea gauge of 5.48 meters and a total weight of 9,843 tons. Its navigating speed is about 18.5 knots per hour. (Xinhua)