11 missing as cargo ship sinks off Hong Kong
HONG KONG (AP) — Rescuers were searching on Monday for 11 crew members of a cargo vessel that sank after colliding with a container ship in waters near Hong Kong.
One crew member, a 47-year-old man, has been rescued by a fishing vessel following the accident, which occurred before dawn Monday in waters south of the southern Chinese city, Marine Department spokeswoman Heidi Cheng said.
The 97-meter (320-foot) Zhong Xin 2, carrying cement and registered in mainland China, is suspected to have sunk after colliding with the 300-meter (985-foot) MOL Motivator, she said.
One helicopter and eight marine police and fire department boats from Hong Kong are helping with the search and rescue effort, which is being coordinated by a command center in Guangdong province on the mainland.
Hong Kong's waterways are frequently crowded with sampans, commuter ferries and cruise ships as well as massive container vessels serving the city's busy port. The city suffered its biggest maritime tragedy in decades two years ago when a ferry collided with a smaller boat, leaving 39 dead and 100 injured.
