Beijing, June 3 (IANS): In escalated efforts to find survivors from more than 400 people believed trapped inside a capsized cruise ship, rescue workers on Wednesday began cutting into the hull of the passenger liner that capsized on the turbulent Yangtze river in China two days ago.

The Eastern Star disaster in the Yangtze river could become China's deadliest shipping accident in almost seven decades. Over 450 people were on board the ship when it sank on Monday night after being hit by a tornado at Jianli, Hubei Province.

Rescuers have only found 14 survivors, and so far have retrieved 26 bodies, leaving over 400 people still unaccounted for, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

According to Li Qixiu of the Naval University of Engineering, the bottom of the Eastern Star will be cut open while the hull is lifted using steel cables.

"The ship sank in a very short time-frame, so there could still be air trapped in the hull," Li told Xinhua over telephone, "and that means there could still be survivors."

The real trick is how the vessel will be held steady to prevent it from sinking further during the operation. The escape of any air trapped in the hull could cause the ship to lose what buoyancy it has and sink deeper into the water, he said.

Li said divers have managed to attach steel cables to the hull and they planned to support the ship with cranes while rescuers searched inside.

An engineering expert warned over the inevitable thinning of air in a closed space over time where people are breathing, adding that "the longer it takes, the less likely we are able to find survivors".

"We are racing against time, but are never going to give up," he said.