Beijing: A passing fishing boat rescued 23 Chinese crew members of a cargo ship that sank early today in waters off east China, state press said. The fishing boat rescued the crew of the Hong Kong-owned "New Hangzhou" after finding the sailors in a life raft off the coast of China's Zhejiang province, Xinhua news agency said.
The boat, registered in Sierra Leone, sank early this morning while carrying 9,000 tonnes of cargo from China s northern port of Tianjin to Vietnam, the report said. Xinhua earlier reported that the ship was owned by a Chinese shipping company and registered to Panama.
Crew members aboard the ship had first reported via mobile phone that the vessel was sinking, the report said. China's eastern coastline has been the scene of several mishaps this year, with up to 20 fishermen reported missing after their boats sank during the last week of February alone.
