A Chinese vessel was dispatched to rescue crew members after a Panama-registered oil tanker and a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter collided in waters about 160 sea miles east of the Yangtze River's estuary, Jan. 7, 2018. Thirty-two crew members, including 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, have gone missing after two vessels collided off China's east coast on Saturday evening, China's Ministry of Transport said Sunday.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Geng Shuang, said that the accident is of major importance to China and added that some of the crew members have been rescued while others are still missing.
Geng Shuang said that China has also dispatched several specialized cleaning vessels to prevent secondary disasters.
According to reports, the collision occurred at around 8 p.m. Saturday in waters about 160 sea miles east of the Yangtze River's estuary.Reports say 32 crew members from the oil tanker, including 30 Iranian nationals and two Bangladeshi nationals, have gone missing. Geng Shuang said the cause of the accident is still under investigation.
BS/PR