Hu Jianyue (right), survivor of the Eastern Star cruise ship disaster. [Photo/Xinhua]

Two passengers found their fates tied to one life buoy when the Eastern Star cruiser sank in the Yangtze River.

Hu Jianyue, 56, who was watching people playing mahjong on the third-floor deck of the cruiser, was thrown into the water when the ship overturned and sank on Monday night.

Hu felt a life buoy in the darkness and grabbed it. After floating for a while, he found a companion.

"When a man put his hand on my life buoy I was terribly nervous," said Hu. "I feared he might take it away from me. But the stranger also looked nervous".

"One life buoy for two people, it was dangerous if we fought for it," said Xie Yong (alias), a 63-year-old who was also thrown into the water. "So I just kept silent."

The two floated on the river together and "shouted for help in turn when seeing boat near".

Three hours later, they were rescued up by a passing boat.