Chinese salvagers have fully righted the ship which capsized on the Yangtze River, on which more than 400 people are thought to have died.

The Eastern Star overturned late on Monday after being caught in a storm.

Just 14 of the 456 passengers and crew are known to have survived what looks set to be China's worst shipping disaster in more than 60 years of Communist rule.

Authorities say the chances of finding anyone still alive were "slim".

"In a situation in which the overall judgment is that there is no chance of people being alive, we could start the work of righting the boat," Transport Ministry Spokesperson Xu Chengguang had told reporters at a news conference on Thursday.

Rescue workers on the upturned hull, which was just barely visible over the brown waters of the Yangtze, were towered over by two cranes.

Hooks were welded onto the ship and a net stretched around the entire structure in preparation for lifting it.

By first light on Friday, the ship could be seen lying on its side with its name visible just above the water. Xinhua state news agency later tweeted a picture of the righted vessel, its roof apparently crushed.

As the ship is righted, the focus of emergency workers at the site in Jianli, Hubei province will switch from attempting to find survivors to searching the ship's 150 cabins for bodies.

Mr Xu said on Friday that the next step was to raise the ship entirely above the water to conduct the search.

So far 97 bodies have been recovered, some after three holes were cut into the vessel's upturned hull. The holes were later welded closed in order to preserve the ship's buoyancy.

Most of the 14 people known to have survived jumped from the ship as it began to sink. Three were rescued by divers from air pockets in the upturned hull.

The cause of the sinking is not yet known, but survivors have spoken of an intense storm which flipped the boat over in minutes.

The captain and chief engineer, who were among those who escaped, have since been detained.

Maritime agency records showed the ship was investigated for safety violations two years ago. It was held alongside five other vessels in 2013 over safety concerns.

China's deadliest maritime disaster in recent decades was in November 1999, when the Dashun ferry caught fire and capsized in the sea off Shandong province, killing about 280.

The Eastern Star could become China's deadliest boat accident since the SS Kiangya sank off Shanghai in 1948, killing somewhere between 2,750 and 4,000 people.

中国・長江で乗員乗客４５８人乗せた客船が沈没 大半が行方不明、船長は救出 李克強首相ら現地に

      中国中部の湖北省付近を流れる長江（揚子江）で、１日午後９時２８分（日本時間同１０  時２８分）ごろ、乗客ら４５８人を乗せて南京（江蘇省）から上流の重慶に向かっていた客船「東方之星」（２２００トン）が、竜巻に巻き込まれて転覆した。中国メディアは、２日早朝までの救難作業で船長、機関長を含む３０人あまりが救助されたと伝えたが、乗客の大半は行方不明のままとなっている。
      これまでに８人が救出されましたが、現場は雨で視界が悪く、救出作業は困難な状況となっています。
      客のほとんどは高齢者の団体旅行客で、５０代から８０代が多いということです。地元当局は徹夜で救助作業にあたっていますが、現場は雨や霧で視界が悪く、作業は困難な状況となっています。
　  事故にあったのは、重慶市の企業が運航する全長７６．５メートルの大型客船「オリエンタル・スター」で、南京市から重慶市に向かっていました。北京の日本大使館によれば、日本人が巻き込まれたとの情報は入っていないということです。
     客船は江蘇省南京市から重慶市に向かうツアーの途中だった。沈没した地点は水深約１５メートルで、客船は転覆して船底がわずかに水上に出ている状態。中国中央テレビによると、船内から助けを求める人の声が聞こえるといい、船内に乗客が取り残されている模様だ。
　  現場付近は前日から大荒れの天候で、同通信などによると救出された船長らは、航行中に竜巻に遭い、瞬く間に沈没したと証言した。乗っていたのは、中国国内 の旅行客４０６人のほか、旅行会社の関係者５人、乗員４７人。乗客の多くは国内旅行社が募集したツアー参加者で、５０～８０歳が多かったという。
     ２日の捜索で船内から生存者の反応があったと伝えた。２日午前までに１３人が救助され、５人の死亡が確認された。一部の中国メディアはこれまでに３０人が引き上げられたとしている。 
　   長江では今年１月、江蘇省靖江近くで試験航行中のタグボートが転覆する事故があり、日本人男性ら外国人８人を含む２２人が死亡した事故があったばかりだ。
      事態を重く見た習近平国家主席は救難に全力を挙げるよう指示。陣頭指揮のため李克強首相、馬凱副首相ら高官が現地に向かった。