An inquiry into the Yangtze River ship disaster which claimed the lives of hundreds of passengers has found freak weather was mostly to blame.
The Eastern Star ship sailing from Nanjing to Chongqing capsized in June, killing 442.
An investigation by the Chinese government called it ‘an extraordinarily serious disaster’.
The report said winds escalated rapidly alongside heavy rainfall, causing the ship to sink in just a minute.
The winds were twice as strong as the ship could handle but crew members were also culpable.
The ship’s captain and officer in charge, who perished in the incident, failed to respond effectively and the report recommended the captain’s licence be revoked.
He could also face criminal charges.
In addition it asked that seven people from the shipping company and 36 local government officials should face punishments for administrative failures.
