Chinese divers recovered a fifth body on Saturday of a crew member from the Republic of Korea (ROK) cargo ship that sank off the east China coast following a collision with a container ship more than 10 days ago.

The body was salvaged from the smoking room on the third deck of the sunken ROK ship "Golden Rose". The body is yet to be identified.

The salvage operation is still going on.

Chinese divers have recovered five bodies since the first one was found on Monday. One of the bodies was confirmed to be the captain's.

The ROK ship sank last Saturday off the coast near Yantai, a city in Shandong Province, after it collided in heavy fog with "Jinsheng", a freighter operated by Shandong Lufeng Shipping Company Ltd. and registered in Saint Vincent. None of its 16 crew members have been found alive.

Among the 16 sailors from the "Golden Rose," eight are ROK nationals, seven from Myanmar and one from Indonesia.

China's Ministry of Communications launched a massive search and has sent 34 divers to the salvage operation since May 17.

(Xinhua News Agency May 27, 2007)