Officers and soldiers stand in silent tribute to the capsized ship Eastern Star after completing the search and clearance process in the Jianli section of the Yangtze River, central China's Hubei Province, June 8, 2015. Over 1,500 pieces of personal effects belonged to the victims and more than 200 tons of sundries have been found so far during a search process. The Eastern Star cruise ship, carrying 456 people onboard, was on an 11-day trip along the Yangtze River when it was overturned by a tornado last Monday night in Jianli. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

The capsized Eastern Star cruise ship will be moved to allow divers to search for victims at the site.

With eight victims still missing, the search and rescue headquarters will move the ship as soon as weather and water movements are favorable, Minister of Transport Yang Chuantang said Monday.

"A glimmer of hope deserves all-out efforts," he said.

Ministry sources said on Saturday the search for the missing victims would be extended for nearly 1,300 km along the Yangtze River between Jianli in Hubei Province, where the ship sank, downstream to the Wusong Estuary in Shanghai.

The Eastern Star with 456 people onboard was on an 11-day trip along the Yangtze when it was overturned by a tornado last Monday night.

Fourteen people survived the disaster. As of Monday, rescuers had retrieved the bodies of 434 victims.