JIANLI — 2015 · Major Tragedy

The Eastern Star Disaster — Yangtze River

ClosedSources: BLast updated: 14 October 2026

At around 21:30 on 1 June 2015 the passenger ship Eastern Star (Dongfang zhi Xing), sailing on the Yangtze River, was caught in a sudden storm and capsized off Jianli County in Hubei province. On board were 403 passengers, mostly elderly tourists, 46 crew and 5 guides. The ship sank so quickly that no distress call was sent. Only 12 people survived; the official death toll was 442. A six-month official investigation identified severe storms and sudden winds as the main cause, but 45 people at the shipping company and local regulators were held responsible for management and supervision failures and faced administrative penalties such as dismissal or demotion. It was China's deadliest shipping disaster in decades.

Date: 2015
Place: Hubei, China, Jianli, CN
Category: Major Tragedy
Case Status: Closed
Coordinates: 29.8500, 112.9000 ↗

Timeline of Events

1 June 2015The Eastern Star capsized in a storm off Jianli.
June 2015Rescuers cut into the hull to search; the ship was later righted.

8 June 2015It was reported that 434 bodies had been recovered and 8 were missing.
December 2015The official inquiry blamed the storm; 45 people faced administrative penalties.