In this file photo taken on Sept 1, 2018,
fishing boats sails out of the Penglaige Sub-District fishing port in Penglai city, east China's Shandong province. (YU LIANGYI / XINHUA)
JINAN – Nine crew members have died after their cargo ship sank early Sunday morning off the coast of Yantai city, east China's Shandong province, the Beihai Rescue Bureau of the Ministry of Transport said.
A total of 14 crew members were on board when the accident occurred
The cargo ship, "Tianfeng 369," sank in the sea waters 30 nautical miles northeast of Yantai. A total of 14 crew members were on board when the accident occurred.
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The rescue bureau received a report of the accident at 4:43 am and then sent a rescue helicopter and a rescue vessel to join in the rescue operation.
As of 10 pm, rescuers had salvaged 12 people out of the water, with three in stable condition and nine with no signs of life.
The rescue and search operation for the remaining two missing crew members is still underway.
The ship is owned by the Tianfeng Marine Shipping Co Ltd in Shouguang city, Shandong province.