A 58-year-old man survived the devastating cruise ship accident that took place on China's Yangtze River on June 1 after his wife asked him to let go of her just moments before the ship capsized, reports said on Thursday.

58-year-old Wu Jianqiang survived the devastating cruise ship accident on the Yangtze River after his wife asked him to let go of her just moments before the ship overturned. [Photo/Changjiang Daily]

The cruise ship Eastern Star sank on Monday night after being hit by a tornado in Jianli in central China's Hubei Province. Wu Jianqiang, 58, was traveling on the ship with his 57-year-old wife Li Xiuzhen. The two had come to Nanjing from their home in north China's Tianjin on vacation.

According to Wu's account of the accident, the couple was lying in bed holding hands together when the ship tilted. The bed then slid to one side of the room just as a large amount of water began to flood into the cabin.

Li was then trapped under the heavy bed and could not get free despite Wu's attempts to pull her out.

"Let go!" Li shouted suddenly to her husband.

Shocked by his wife's request, Wu loosened his grip on his wife's hands and was then pushed outside by the water. The ship turned completely over at almost the same moment.

Wu then swam for several minutes before he was saved.

"I might have died if my wife had not let go of my hands," Wu recalled tearfully. His wife remains unaccounted for.

Over 450 people were on board the cruise ship when it capsized. 14 survivors have been rescued, 65 bodies have been found, and 377 people were still missing as of Thursday afternoon. The shipwreck could be China's deadliest shipping accident in nearly 70 years.

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