Evening star., 1948-12-04
300 Chinese War Refugees
Feared Lost in Ship Sinking Off
Shanghai After Mystery Blast
Communist Sabotage
Possibility Raised
By One Survivor
BY the Assoeioted Press

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ship crammed with Chinese war
refugees exploded and sank just
outside Shanghai late last night,
with a toll expected to exceed
5000 lives.
If reports are even approximately
accurate, it was the worst marine
disaster in modern history.
Some 4,25o Chinese were reported
aboard the ship, the China Merchant
Steamship Co.'S 2,099-ton Kiangya.
1t blew up amidships and sank in
less than an hour near the mouth
of the Yangtze River.
The steamship company said it
had no record of any foreigners be-
ing aboard the Kiangya.
zoo Bodies Reported Found.
A company spokesman said the
Kiangya had a capacity of 1,186
passengers, but that it was "off-
cially' carrying 2,250-mostly from
Nanking. He said another estimated
1900 clambered aboard at Shanghai.
There seemed no way of determln-
ing just how many.
Late tonight, as six Chinese rescue
boats bobbed about the shattered
superstructure extending out OF the
chill waters. about 200 bodies were
reported recovered and at least 5000
were reported still missing. Many
were believed trapped below decks.
Between 100 and 400 have been
reported rescued thus far.
>Cause of the blast had not been
determined. The welter of reports
advanced several reasons-Commu-
mist sabotage, an underwater mine
or an explosion of overstrained
boilers.
First Disaster of Exodus.
It was the first major disaster in
the frenZied exodus from Shanghai
and Nanking. Both cities are men,
aced by Chinese Communist armies
now engaged in critical-possibly
decisive-battles less than 200 miles
northwest of Marking.
The steamship had sailed from
Shanghai en- route to Ningpo
tNinghsien), about 200 miles south
of here. 1t was jammed with
Shanghai and Marking residents
attempting to reach the relative
safety of Chekiang province.
A company spokesman said the
vessel had carried at least 1000
passengers on each of its previous
trips, and that there were at least
that many aboard this time.
Sabotage Believed Possible.
Survivors-some Of whom were in
tured-reported that the ship went
down shortly after tremendous
explosion. One survivor said 1t
might have been sabotage, because
he noticed two junks passing the
stern of the ship a few minutes
earlier.
He said they might have loosed
q mine. Shipping men were in
clined to blame overstrained boilers
for the blast.
The ships wireless was unac-
countably out of commission, and
its plight was not learned until a
passing coastal vessel. the Hwa Foo,
sighted the smoking ship.
The HWa Foo was believed to
have picked up some survivors. At
pm. today she still was standing
by a small portion of the sunken
ships superstructure extending
above the water.
Three other rescue vessels arriv-
ing in Shanghai reported that the
Hwo Foo probably didn't pick up
more than a handful of survivors.
Rescue Work Continuing.
The company spokesman said res
cue work still was proceeding late
today-but this was interpreted to
mean chiefly the recovering of
bodies.
Shanghai dock workers blamed
the overlooking of the Kiangya on
a scheme frequently used by the
Chinese-with those already aboard
throwing their tickets TO friends on
the wharf and the friends coming
aboard.
Ningpo is an overnight trip from
Shanghai. Several small vessels are
on that run. The vessels proceed
down the Whangpoo from Shanghai
20 crowded they are black with hu-
manity. 1t has been familiar