Officials and rescuers bow in mourning towards the battered boat Sunday. [Photo/Weibo]

More than 1,400 relatives have come to Jianli.

The government says that it is doing everything possible to help the relatives, including providing free accommodation and medical services, and Vice Premier Ma Kai has been dispatched to meet family members personally.

"It made me feel incredibly warm. When he shook my hand and said a few words to me, told us to keep on going. I felt that he didn't seem like a political leader at all. He was so genial. He was like my own father," Wang Hua, 42, who lost both parents on the ship, told Reuters of her meeting with Ma.

The company which operated the ship has apologised for the disaster and said it would "fully" cooperate with the investigation. Beijing has pledged there would be "no cover-up".

Jiang Zhao, general manager of the company which operated the Eastern Star, bowed in apology for the disaster during an interview with state television broadcast on Saturday, saying they would "fully" cooperate with the investigation.

Police have detained the captain and chief engineer for questioning as part of the investigation. An initial probe found the ship was not overloaded and had enough life vests on board.

The disaster is China's worst shipping catastrophe in seven decades.