PM Narendra Modi expresses shock and grief over China's ship tragedy

BEIJING: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed shock over the sinking of a Chinese cruise ship carrying 458 passengers, mostly elders, in the Yangtze River and prayed for safety of those on board the ill-fated vessel.

"I am shocked to learn of the sinking of a cruise ship in the Yangtze River. I pray for the safety and wellbeing of those on board," the Prime Minister said in a series of tweets posted on his Weibo account.

The four-storey Eastern Star ship capsized due to a cyclone in Yangtze river in China's Hubei province last night. Hundreds of passengers on board the ship are missing in one of China's worst shipping tragedies.

Modi made his debut on Sina Weibo, akin to Twitter, on May 4 well before his three-day visit to China, becoming first Indian leader to open an account on China's popular microblog with over 500 million users to interact with Chinese netizens.

In his today's posts, Modi also called for large scale participation in the events lined up for the UN's first International Yoga Day to be observed on June 21 all over the world.

"A wonderful & soulful prayer, before you begin practising Yoga," he posted.