China
16:20, 28-Nov-2017
Seven rescued after cargo ship collision off south China coast
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Seven of the twelve crew members missing from a ship that sunk after a cargo ship collision near the Pearl River estuary in south China were rescued on Tuesday afternoon.
The seven sailors from the sunken ship, who were already rescued, suffered from ailments ranging from light surface injuries to oxygen deprivation while many are also undergoing lung issues.
On Wednesday morning, 22 ambulances have been sent in to the Guangzhou Port Nansha from seven local hospitals. Some 80 medical staff are on rotation after the collision on Monday. By nightfall Tuesday, there were still five crew members missing.
“Most of the patients have an inhaled mixture of seawater and mud. Most are showing symptoms of aspiration pneumonia,” said Dr. He Weiguo from the Guangzhou Nansha Central Hospital.
The cause of the collision is still unknown. And local authorities have not released any details on the investigation. But it’s been reported that one of the ships took detours in the narrow waterway around the Lingding Channel. And it ran into the other cargo ship soon after making a second detour.
It is still not clear if the ship’s zigzagging was caused by machine failure or human error.
On Monday, a bulk vessel carrying 5,000 tons of sand sank after colliding with a ship loaded with 5,038 tons of steel at about 3 a.m. local time.
(CGTN'S Xu Xinchen also contributes to the story.)