UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon said on Tuesday that he was "deeply saddened" to learn of the major loss of life as a result of a passenger ship accident on the Yangtze river in China.

"The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the families of the victims and also sends his deep sympathies to the Government and people of China. He fervently hopes more survivors will be found," said a statement of Ban's spokesperson.

With 458 people onboard, the passenger ship, named Dongfangzhixing, or Eastern Star, sank at around 9:28 pm local time Monday after being caught in a cyclone in the Jianli section of the river, China's longest, according to the Yangtze River navigation administration.

So far, a total of 15 people have been rescued from the capsized ship, and another five were confirmed dead. Rescuers said there could be more survivors.