China has just been stricken by a major test after the cruise ship Eastern Star carrying 458 mostly elderly people capsized in a few minutes in the Yangtze River on Monday night. Only 14 survivors were rescued and a further 26 bodies recovered, according to the latest figures. The majority of people aboard remain unaccounted for.

A great deal of information was quickly revealed. The China Meterological Administration confirmed a tornado of level 12 or above was formed in that section of the Yangtze River which lasted for 15 to 20 minutes. Local meteorological authorities had sent early warnings of rainstorms. Besides, it was reported that another ship sailing through the same section of the river escaped the tragedy as its captain considered the weather unfavorable and dropped anchor. The capsized ship was neither overloaded nor exceeded the service time, with adequate lifejackets aboard. In this context, a through investigation is needed before drawing a conclusion as to the cause of the incident.

In the aftermath of the disaster, public opinion in China has been largely sensible and rational with the most focus on the rescue efforts and prayers. However, there are a few dissenting voices that habitually question the authorities for wanting to put all the blame on the terrible weather conditions, despite no evidence of such intention by the government. In fact, in recent years, nearly all those who were indeed responsible for major incidents have been held accountable. The public certainly should pay close attention to the incident, yet not necessarily be suspicious.

After the disaster, some individuals even collected contact information released by anxious families of the passengers and sent fraudulent messages in an attempt to swindle money. It's indeed heinous that some even attempted to take advantage of the enormous pain of others.

The authorities reacted swiftly to the disaster. Chinese President Xi Jinping gave instructions instantly while Premier Li Keqiang arrived at the scene to direct the rescue efforts in short order, with necessary resources mobilized quickly. The upstream Three Gorges Dam was closed several times to lower water levels downstream to facilitate the rescue.

However, there are reports of the families' anger that they were not kept updated. Their emotions can only be assuaged by a thorough and convincing investigation, even with the government's speedy rescue efforts.

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