BEIJING - 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.

Earlier, a 65-year-old woman was pulled alive from the wreck, although state media had earlier given her age as 85, Reuters reported. Xinhua said the woman was pulled from the boat after midday on Tuesday and state broadcaster CCTV described her as in "good physical condition".

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

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

Rescuers are working in bad weather to find more survivors. Xinhua said the country has dispatched a 140-member frogman team and five helicopters to help in the search and rescue efforts.

Footage showed rescue workers tapping on the ship's hull, part of which remained above water, with some holding welding gear and others ropes, according to AFP.

The Dongfangzhixing or "Eastern Star" sank late Monday while en route from the eastern city of Nanjing to the southwestern city of Chongqing, CCTV said.

President Xi Jinping has ordered "all-out rescue efforts" while Premier Li Keqiang had already arrived at the scene, state media said.