Beijing, June 2 (Reuters): Rescuers pulled a man from a ship that capsized carrying 458 people on China's Yangtze River, the official Xinhua news agency said on its microblog on Tuesday, the second passenger to be rescued from inside the upturned vessel's hull.

Five bodies have been recovered since the ship capsized in a storm late on Monday in what is one of China's worst recent disasters, state media said.

Only about a dozen people had been rescued from the four-decked tourist boat amid confusing reports about how many people had been saved.

Earlier, divers had pulled an 85-year-old woman from the hull of the passenger ship.

The People's Daily, which published a passenger manifest on its microblog, said those on board ranged in age from three to more than 80.

State TV showed dramatic footage of rescuers trying to cut through the ship's upturned hull with an angle grinder. Divers later rescued an 85-year-old woman who was reported to be in good health, it said.

The People's Daily newspaper said other passengers were still inside the Eastern Star, while the official Xinhua news agency said rescuers could hear people calling for help from inside the stricken vessel.

Dozens of rescue boats battled strong wind and heavy rain to reach the stricken vessel.

It also later reported that initial investigations had found the ship was not overloaded and that it had enough life vests on board for the number of passengers it was carrying. Those rescued were wearing life vests, Xinhua said.

The captain and the chief engineer, who were among the few to be rescued, had been detained by police for questioning, Xinhua said.

According to the Yangtze River navigation administration, the pair had said the ship sank quickly after it was caught in what was described as a sudden “tornado”.

Among those on board the ship were 406 tourists, aged from around 50 to 80, on a tour organised by a Shanghai tour group, and 47 crew members, the People's Daily said.

Weather forecasts said heavy rain was expected on Tuesday, which would hamper rescue efforts.

The Eastern Star, which has the capacity to carry more than 500 people, was heading to Chongqing city from Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. It sank at around 9:28pm local time in the Jianli section of the river.