Burning Iranian oil tanker in East China Sea has sunk, all 32 crew members feared dead: Reports
Rescue workers had earlier found three bodies.
An Iranian oil tanker, which had caught fire after it collided with a Chinese freight ship carrying grain on January 7, sank on Sunday, several media reports said quoting the Chinese state television. There were 32 people on board the tanker.
The tanker, called the Sanchi, which had been adrift in the East China Sea since January 7, “suddenly ignited” around 4 am GMT (9.30 am Indian Standard Time), China Central Television said.
Earlier in the day, an Iranian official had said it was likely that all crew had died, ChannelNewsAsia reported. “There is no hope of finding survivors among the members of the crew,” Mohammad Rastad, a spokesperson for the Iranian rescue team dispatched to Shanghai, said.
On Saturday, rescue workers had found the bodies of two crew members in a lifeboat, BBC reported. Another body had been found last week.
