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Three dead, 9 missing after freighter sinks in E. China

30 September 2010 20:15 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Three crew members were dead and nine others missing after a freighter sank Thursday morning in east China’s Fujian Province, local maritime authorities reported, APA reports quoting Xinhua News Agency.

The freighter, with 15 crew members on board, sank in the waters off Ao’qian Township in Pingtan City of Fujian. Three crew members were saved, said a spokesman with the provincial maritime rescue center.

The freighter, named "Huiying 168", was registered in the northern Tianjin Municipality. All 15 people worked with Tianjin Pacific Shipping Co., Ltd, according to the survivors.

Carrying 4,450 tonnes of clay, it dropped anchor around 10 p.m. Wednesday to avoid gales and capsized around 5 a.m. Thursday, said the spokesman.

The rescue center dispatched a helicopter, a professional rescue vessel and nearly 20 additional vessels to search for the missing crew. But the efforts were hampered by the raging storm, he said.