Expressing his condolences over the incident, Bahram Ghasemi said “since the very beginning of the incident, the foreign ministry formed a committee to look into the search and rescue operation in cooperation with other ministries.”
He added “we hope that the joint rescue forces will be able to enter the Iranian tanker tomorrow if all goes well."
Ghasemi pointed out “Dr. Zarif today spoke with the Chinese foreign minister in detail on this matter. In the telephone conversation, the Chinese Foreign Minister gave a report on measures taken to extinguish the fire and determine the fate of the crew members and ensured us that the Chinese government would do what they can to determine their fate as soon as possible.”
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been in constant contact with the governments of Japan and South Korea in recent days, adding “Japan is scheduled to dispatch the necessary equipment and rescue teams in addition to its previous contribution.”
The Iranian oil tanker Sanchi, with 32 crew on board, collided with a Chinese freighter off China's east coast last Saturday. So far, the bodies of three crew members have been found, but the search for the remaining sailors continue.
Sanchi was carrying 136,000 tons of condensate, worth some $60 million, and bound for the Republic of Korea.
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