Mainland authorities yesterday corrected the death toll from the Yangtze cruise ship disaster, saying there was only 12 survivors, not 14, after the ship capsized almost two weeks ago.
The rescuers confirmed that only 12 people survived the tragedy, and that 454 people, not 456, were on board when the Eastern Star rolled over in the Jianli section of the river on June 1, China Central Television said.
They told the state broadcaster that rescuers from different divisions had counted two survivors twice.
The authorities said on the first day of the search and rescue that the ship had been carrying 405 passengers, 46 crew and five tour guides. They corrected the final number of passengers to 403 yesterday.
But they revealed no further details about the two passengers who were initially believed to be on board and what might have led to the miscalculation.
They added that the DNA tests results for all of the bodies had been completed. That showed that the bodies of all 442 deceased had been found.
President Xi Jinping has ordered an investigation by 60 specialists into the cause of the accident, which mainland media has largely blamed on the Chongqing-based operator of the ship modifying the ship's structure two decades ago to hold more passengers.
The company has responded that all the changes complied with the upgraded standards of mainland maritime authorities.