CPC leaders order "all possible measures" in capsized ship rescue

Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior Communist Party of China (CPC) leaders have called on rescuers to "take all possible measures" to save lives from the cruiser ship that capsized on the Yangtze River Monday night.

They also demanded serious investigation into the cause of the incident, in which 65 have been confirmed dead and more than 370 are still missing. Only 14 survivors have been found.

The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee met on Thursday morning on the rescue and aftermath handling of the incident.

Xi gave a speech and presided over the meeting.

A statement issued after the meeting pointed out the rescue work to deal with the aftermath of the accident has been arduous and all relevant authorities should mobilize all possible forces and take all possible measures to race against the clock in the rescue operations.