Update | Family members demand transparent probe into Yangtze ship disaster as death toll reaches 431
Death toll has topped 400 as authorities continue retrieving bodies from the Eastern Star
The death toll reached 431 on Sunday after disaster-relief teams stabilised the vessel in an upright position and searched it for more bodies.
"Our family is already gone. As relatives, we are still waiting for the final result of the government's investigation," said a woman from Nanjing , whose 65-year-old father, Wang Chuanyu, had boarded the ship with friends.
"Relevant state [departments] must investigate those who should be investigated, hold responsible those who should be held responsible … and punish those who should be punished."
Only 14 of the 456 passengers survived after the ship capsized on the Yangtze River last Monday night in heavy weather.
Hundreds more bodies from the ship were found overnight, Hu Kaihong, the deputy director general of the press bureau of the State Council Information Office, told a news conference.
Family members said they would not accept the apology of Jiang Zhao, the legal representative of the Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corporation, which owns the ill-fated vessel.
Jiang apologised in front of the media in Jianli county, Hubei , where the disaster took place, on Friday evening, describing the accident as "a catastrophe to the company".
But a family member from Changzhou , Jiangsu province, said: "It was merely formalism. He did not even say what his company had done wrong."
Wang Chuanyu's daughter said: "I don't need an apology, I only need the facts. If [they] did not do wrong, [they] don't need to apologise … But if not … we need to know what kind of punishment they will receive."
The State Council has assured family members that it will launch a comprehensive investigation into the accident.
At a meeting on Thursday, the cabinet promised to release accurate information in a timely and transparent manner.
However, no further report on progress has been released.
Zhang Shifeng, an official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said during a briefing yesterday that the investigation began right after the tragedy occurred, but it still needed time because "the issue was relatively complicated and involved many aspects".
But no information has been made public on which department is leading the investigation.
