Two cargo ships have collided off the coast of the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao, causing one of the freighters to sink.
The Panama-flagged freighter ‘Oriental Sunrise’ sank at 7.35 pm local time yesterday when it collided with another Panama-flagged vessel, a cargo ship identified as the ‘Hamburg Bridge’.
Nine of the total 19 crew members aboard the sunk vessel were rescued, including three injured who were sent to hospital for treatment, a spokesman with the Shandong Maritime Safety Bureau said. All 19 were believed to be North Korean.
One of the three injured died after an emergency operation failed to save his life and two others are still in serious condition, the spokesman said.
A total of 13 ships have been dispatched to search for the 10 missing people. All the 19 crew members were believed to be nationals of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, he said.