Thirty two missing feared dead

Thirty two missing feared dead

Thirty two crew members of an Iranian oil tanker were left missing feared dead after the vessel was involved in a collision with a cargo ship 160 nautical miles off Shanghai on the East Coast of China.

The tanker, the Panamanian-flagged Sanchi which was carrying 136,000 tonnes of oil, caught fire and an explosion spilled most of its cargo into the sea.

The blaze lasted for several days and while the Chinese maritime authorities dispatched eight ships to search the area for survivors it was also predicted the taker would eventually sink.

The second vessel CF Crystal, registered in Hong Kong, was carrying 64,000 tonnes of grain was damaged in the collision but authorities said that had not ‘jeopardised its safety’ and all 21 members of its crew had been rescued.