South Korean cargo ship sinks off Hong Kong, seven missing

South Korean cargo ship sinks off Hong Kong, seven missing

2011-11-22 22:10:00 GMT+7 (ICT)

HONG KONG (BNO NEWS) -- A South Korean cargo ship carrying more than 20 people sank off the coast of Hong Kong on late Monday afternoon, officials said on Tuesday morning. Seven crew members remain missing.

The 15,000 ton (30 million pounds) commercial ship, named the 'Bright Ruby', sent out a distress call at around 3.20 p.m. local time before it capsized about 338 nautical miles (625 kilometers) south of the coast of Hong Kong. The vessel was traveling from Malaysia to mainland China.

According to the Hong Kong Marine Department and South Korea's Foreign Ministry, at least two commercial ships responded to the distress call and rescued 14 crew members from the water. The seven other crew members were still missing as of Tuesday morning.

According the Ministry, the missing crew members consist of four people from Myanmar (Burma) and three people from South Korea. The nationalities of the other crew members were not immediately known.

The 'Bright Ruby', which was loaded with steel at the time of the accident, has an unlucky history. In September 2008, Somali pirates hijacked the vessel with its 22 crew members off the coast of Somalia. The ship was released more than a month later after its owner, J&J Trust, paid an undisclosed ransom.

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