Experts explained how the Eastern Star sank.
Due to the sudden tornado, the passenger ship capsized and sank.
The captain of the Oriental Star cruise ship said: During the smooth exercise, a tornado suddenly struck, causing the passenger ship to capsize.
The person in charge of the Yangtze River Maritime Safety Administration said: The "Oriental Star" capsized within one or two minutes after the tornado, when most people on board were ready to rest. Therefore, when the accident happened, the ship did not send out any distress signal and sank into the river upside down, which caused great difficulties to the rescue work.
Expert Group of China Meteorological Bureau: Based on comprehensive meteorological monitoring, meteorological radar monitoring data and on-site investigation and analysis, experts believe that there was a tornado in the local area during the incident, with the wind force above 12, the main body of the tornado was located on the river, the horizontal scale was less than 1km, and the duration of the tornado was 15 to 20 minutes, which was a local, small-scale and sudden severe convective disaster weather.