Chinese authorities began late on Thursday to right the cruise ship Eastern Star, which capsized on the Yangtze River, after divers sent to search for survivors found no signs of life inside.

With only 14 survivors found, including the captain and chief engineer, since the ship carrying 456 people overturned during a freak tornado on Monday night, the rescue mission has now become an operation to recover hundreds of bodies.

"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 spokesman Xu Chengguang told a news conference.