Two fishing boats capsized in the sea off east China's Zhejiang Province after being rammed by
unidentified ships in two separate incidents, leaving 14 sailors
missing, the local maritime authorities said on Tuesday.
One of the boat, "Zhedingyu No. 14413", registered in Zhoushan
City, was hit by a foreign ship and sank in the seawaters near
Shengsi County in the early morning of Tuesday.
Only one of the seven sailors on the boat has been rescued and
the maritime authorities are busying searching for the remaining
six. The local maritime bureau said the foreign ship disappeared
after the accident.
In a separate accident, a fishing boat named "Zhepuyu No.
72329", registered in the same city, sank at 6:50 PM on Monday in
the seawaters 55 nautical miles east of Shipu port, Xiangshan
County.
The local maritime bureau said all 12 sailors on board the boat
fell into the sea after being hit by an unidentified ship, which
also disappeared after the accident.
The bureau said four sailors clambered onto a life raft and were
rescued two hours later by a passing ship.
It said the rescue operation was halted by heavy fog and the
survival chances of the remaining eight were slim.
(Xinhua News Agency December 13, 2006)