Rescue work continues in theYangtze River. Most of the passengers on board were elderly.

It was supposed to be a pleasure trip, but now more than four hundred lives are at stake.

It only took 2 minutes for the passenger ship "Eastern Star" to sink and no time to signal an SOS. Only seven people were fast enough to escape and swim onshore and they were members of the crew. The hundreds of passengers had no warning that they would be trapped.

Rescuers are still struggling to find a way to save more, but chances of survival are falling.

"We're not optimistic about the people who are trapped, but we are doing everything we can."

Most of those on board are aged from 50 to 80. The youngest is a three-year-old girl. Families are desperately waiting for any information This 65 year-old woman was among the few lucky ones to be rescued. The fate of the hundreds of others is unknown.