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 Only 14 survivors, one of them the captain, were found after the
ship carrying 456 overturned in a freak tornado on Monday night on
the Yangtze River. Most of the passengers on the Eastern Star were
elderly domestic tourists.
The 60-strong investigation team is made up of specialists in
meteorology, ship design and manufacturing, shipping safety and
computing, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing a government
notice on the inquiry.
"It is subdivided into five groups probing meteorological conditions
at the time of the Eastern Star's sinking, the structure and
retrofitting of the ship, its fitness to sail and sailors'
responsibility, and shipping safety supervision on the Yangtze
River," the news agency said.
 "Investigators have interviewed survivors, the captain included,
shipping company managers, designers and builders of the Eastern
Star, and witnesses from other ships."
The company which operated the ship has apologized for the disaster
and said it would "fully" cooperate with the investigation. The
government has pledged there would be "no cover-up".
Police have detained the captain and chief engineer for questioning
as part of the investigation. An initial probe found the ship was
not overloaded and had enough life vests on board.
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Computer experts are trying to recover video footage and GPS data
from devices recovered when the ship was righted on Friday, which
should give details on the ship's route, Xinhua said.
The investigation will be complex and the causes of the sinking "can
only be determined through scrupulous scientific methods and
simulation tests," it added.
"The conclusion must be scientific and able to stand the test of
time," Xinhua said, quoting the government notice.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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