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Two people were drowned and another was missing after a Chinese freighter sank in the Taiwan Straits early Thursday morning, officials with the Xiamen Maritime Affairs Bureau, in southeast China's Fujian Province, said Friday.
The 4,500-ton "Renhe 11", which belongs to a shipping company based in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province, sank at 6:30 am Feb. 20 on its way from Dongshan Harbor, Fujian, to Qinhuangdao Harbor in north China. It was carrying 4,300 tons of ore.
The ship had 15 crew members on board, 12 of whom were rescued by a Dutch container ship which was asked by the Xiamen Maritime Affairs Bureau to speed to the scene to help.
Only one body has been retrieved so far, and the search for the second victim and the missing person continued Friday, bureau officials said.
The cause of the sinking is still under investigation. However, meteorological data showed that there were strong gales in the Taiwan Straits and the height of waves was 3.5 meters when the accident occurred.
(Xinhua News Agency February 21, 2003)
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