Visiting people rescued from the ship, Premier Li Keqiang asked them whether they suffered a lack of oxygen in their cabins, and whether they heard tapping sounds made by other people trapped in the ship.

Twenty-one-year-old Chen Shuhan said he found it difficult to breathe shortly after he was trapped. Many of the people rescued on June 2 were provided oxygen by divers.

A passenger ship, carrying 458 people, capsized and sank at around 9:28 pm on June 1 in the Hubei section of the Yangtze River.

The Premier arrived at the scene of the accident early on June 2.