AKIPRESS.COM - Some passengers are still alive inside the hull of a passenger ship carrying 458 people, many of them elderly Chinese tourists, that capsized on the Yangtze River, state media said on Tuesday, in what could be one of China's worst disasters for years.

The ship capsized in a storm late on Monday. Only about a dozen people had been rescued so far, state media said amid confusing reports about how many had been saved.

The microblog of the official People's Daily newspaper said some passengers were still inside the Eastern Star, while the official Xinhua news agency said rescuers could hear people calling for help from inside the four-deck ship.

State television showed a rescuer on the capsized hull with a blow torch, apparently preparing to cut into the ship, while dozens of rescue boats battled strong wind and heavy rain to reach the stricken vessel.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered that no efforts be spared in rescue work and Premier Li Keqiang was heading to the scene of the accident in central Hubei province, Xinhua said.

It also later reported that initial investigations had found the ship was not overloaded and that it had enough life vests on board for the number of passengers it was carrying. Those rescued were wearing life vests, Xinhua said.

Among those on board the ship were 406 tourists, aged from around 50 to 80, on a tour organized by a Shanghai tour group, and 47 crew members, the People's Daily said.

Citing the Yangtze River navigation administration, Xinhua said those rescued from the Eastern Star included the ship's captain and engineer, who said the vessel sank quickly after being caught in what it said was a cyclone.

The Hubei Daily, another official publication, said the ship had capsized in water that was about 15 meters (50 feet) deep, reports Reuters.

Weather forecasts said heavy rain was expected on Tuesday.