Six remain missing after vessel collision off east China coast

Rescuers continued to search for six people missing in the sea off the coast of east China's Zhejiang Province Wednesday, after a French oil tanker collided with a Chinese cargo vessel Tuesday.

All seven crew members aboard the Chinese vessel were thrown overboard when the collision occurred at about 11:10 a.m. Tuesday near Ningbo City. Only one crew member was rescued.

The 800-tonne vessel had completely sunk by Wednesday afternoon.

"Rescuers are finding it hard to go under the water to search for the missing as the water in the area is as deep as 60 meters," said a Ningbo city government spokesman.

No oil was spilled in the collision, as the French vessel, FLANDRE, was not carrying oil when the accident happened. The 160,000-tonne vessel was en route to the United Arab Emirates after having departed Ningbo.

Maritime authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident.

Source:Xinhua