7:34 am: Ship wreck is located

Ths ship wreck has been located in 15-meter-deep water, ifeng.com reported.

7:32 am: Most passengers are seniors aged 50-80

Most of the passengers are group tourists aged between 50 and 80 organized by a travel agency in Shanghai, according to the Yangtze River navigation administration.

7:20 am: Ship lies upside down

The ship capsized in one or two minutes after being caught in a cyclone and lay upside down, according to the Yangtze River navigation administration. When most people onboard were about to sleep, the ship did not send out distress call when the tragedy happened. It has been submerged upside down and it is difficult to carry out rescue operation.

7:04 am

Premier Li Keqiang is leaving for Jianli county of Hubei province to supervise the rescue operation. Officials who will go with him include Deputy Premier Ma Kai and State Councilor Yang Jing.

6:52 am

35 people have been rescued, ifeng.com reported.

6:25 am

WUHAN - A passenger ship carrying 447 people sank Monday night in the Hubei section of China's Yangtze River, with more than 20 having been rescued, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

The ship, named Dongfangzhixing (Eastern Star), sank at around 11:00 pm in the Shishou (Hubei Province) section of the Yangtze River, according to the Yangtze River navigation administration.

The captain and the chief engineer, who have been rescued, both claimed the ship sank quickly after being caught in a cyclone.

It was heading from Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, to southwest China's Chongqing city.

There were 397 Chinese tourists, five travel agency workers and 45 crew members aboard, according to the administration.

More than 20 people have been rescued and more than ten rescue ships are searching for the survivors, Yangtze River navigation administration said.

Rescue work is hampered by strong wind and heavy rain.