JIANLI, Hubei, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a Chinese cruise ship that capsized on the Yangtze River during freak weather has climbed to 396 as of Saturday noon.
Only 14 people have been found alive so far, while another 46 people remain missing, according to the rescue headquarters in Jianli, central China's Hubei Province.
The Eastern Star was carrying 456 people on a 11-day trip along the river when it was capsized by a tornado on Monday night.
On Friday the 2,200-tonne ship was righted and by 4 p.m. was being hoisted out of the water. By 6:50 p.m., the entire hull was above the water, allowing rescuers to enter.
Local authorities have put the waters where the ship sank under traffic control, with resumption yet to be announced, said Xu Chengguang of the Ministry of Transport.
"We put the traffic control in place so as to better focus on salvage work," Xu said.
On Friday night, Jiang Zhao, legal representative of Chongqing Dongfang Shipping Company that owns the Eastern Star, apologized to all the victims and their families and promised to cooperate with any investigation.
The 76.5-meter vessel had been in service for nearly 20 years and can carry up to 534 people. It went through an annual maintenance in late 2014, and was qualified to cruise until April 25, 2016, according to Jiang.
More than 3,400 soldiers and 1,700 police together with 149 vessels and a helicopter have taken part in the rescue mission.