A passenger ship carrying more than 400 people has sunk in the Yangtze river in central China, state media reported Tuesday.

The ship named "Eastern Star" was headed from Nanjing to Chongqing when it sank in the Jianli section of the river, Xinhua said.

Eight people have been rescued, including the captain and chief engineer, who both said the vessel had been caught in a "cyclone".

There were 458 people on board, including 47 crew members, Xinhua reported.

Xinhua said rescue work was difficult due to bad weather, strong winds and heavy rain.

A total of 22 people, including eight foreigners, were killed when a tugboat sank on the river in January.