A Chinese ship collided with a foreign cargo ship off the east China coast at around 4:00 AM Sunday. The foreign ship sank immediately and 20 crew members are missing, according to marine police in Taizhou City, in east China's Zhejiang Province.

 

The 6,500-ton cargo ship "Harvest" was en route from Shanghai to Vietnam when it collided with the Chinese cargo ship "Jinhaikun", at 28 degrees 20.8 minutes north latitude and 122 degrees 2.6 minutes east longitude, in Taizhou Bay, east China.

 

All 20 crew members aboard -- nineteen Chinese and an Indonesian -- are missing.

 

The 17,061-ton Chinese ship is from Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian Province and was bound for Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province.

 

Three patrol boats from Zhejiang marine police, two professional rescue vessels, a helicopter and four fishing boats have converged on the area to try to save the seamen. The Chinese navy has also sent two escort vessels and a helicopter to assist rescue work.

 

An investigation has been launched into the cause of the accident.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 8, 2007)