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Divers recover two bodies from capsized Ukrainian tugboat

Divers recovered two bodies on Wednesday from a tugboat that capsized in Hong Kong waters and searched for 16 more Ukrainian sailors believed dead, Hong Kong's government said.

  • AP
  • Published: 14:12 March 26, 2008
  • Gulf News

Hong Kong: Divers recovered two bodies on Wednesday from a tugboat that capsized in Hong Kong waters and searched for 16 more Ukrainian sailors believed dead, Hong Kong's government said.

The first body was found near the entrance of the vessel's auxiliary engine room, a government spokeswoman said. It was not immediately clear where the second body was found, she added.

The Ukrainian tugboat Neftegaz 67 sank rapidly after it collided Saturday with the Chinese cargo ship Yao Hai in waters northwest of Hong Kong's outlying Lantau island. Six Ukrainians and a Chinese citizen were immediately rescued.

The spokeswoman said rescuers will continue their efforts until the vessel is retrieved and the bodies located.

The cause of the accident has yet to be determined, but officials say weather conditions were reasonable at the time of the accident and neither ship was overloaded.

A large Chinese salvage ship will be dispatched to Hong Kong from nearby waters in the coming days to move the tugboat to shallower waters.

A Ukrainian delegation, including the country's vice minister of transport and communication, arrived in Hong Kong late on Tuesday to investigate the accident.

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