The disaster on the Yangtze River on the evening of June 1 killed 442 people. Just 14 people survived the capsizing of the Eastern Star, which was carrying many elderly tourists on a 10-day cruise from Nanjing in China's east upstream to Chongqing.
The official Xinhua News Agency said the Cabinet's investigation team concluded that the Eastern Star was brought down "by strong winds and heavy rains" related to "a rare type of severe convective weather."
The conclusion backs up the initial finding that the disaster was caused by strong winds.
Xinhua said the investigation team also found that seven people from the shipping company and 36 local government and party officials should be given administrative punishments for flaws in their daily management.
The seven people included the ship's captain, whose license should be revoked and his contract terminated, the investigation concluded. It also recommended that his case is sent for further investigation to determine whether he is implicated in a crime.
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