Beijing: At least 400 people, mostly the elderly, are missing after a ship capsized on the Yangtze river in southern China after being caught in a cyclone, with strong winds and heavy rains hindering the rescue efforts.

458 people were on board Dongfangzhixing or "Eastern Star" which was headed from the eastern city of Nanjing to the southwestern city of Chongqing when it sank in the Jianli section of the river, in Hubei province, at around 9:28 pm last night, the river navigation administration said. Most of the passengers had retired for the night when the incident happened.