Twelve Chinese crew members have been rescued but five are still missing after a Malaysian cargo ship sank in rough seas in the Bay of Bengal Tuesday afternoon, a Chinese embassy official said in New Delhi early Wednesday morning.

The embassy's press officer Yang Shuying said Indian Coast Guard vessels rescued 12 of the 17 Chinese crew members of MV Genius Star-VI, which sank in the high seas off the West Bengal coast about 190 kilometers southeast of Haldia town.

The rescued sailors were brought to Haldia. They were said to be in good health. The Indian Coast Guard is still searching on the sea in hopes of finding the missing sailors, Yang said.

The Malaysian ship was carrying a consignment of logs from Malaysia to Kolkata.

Source: Xinhua