Trains, planes, automobiles and ships, all great for getting from A to B when things go well, but potentially lethal when they don't, as was the case on Monday evening when a cruise ship, Eastern Star, sailing from Nanjing to Chongqing capsized on the Yangtze River.

So far 18 people are confirmed dead and 14 have been rescued. However, 424 are still unaccounted for. It is to be hoped that more survivors are rescued from the vessel; although the possibility diminishes the more time passes.

There has been much speculation about the cause of the tragedy, but as yet there has been no definitive explanation of what happened.