8 remain missing after boat, container collide in China

By Anadolu staff

Eight people remain missing following a collision between a fishing boat and a Panamanian container ship near the southern Chinese province of Hainan province on Wednesday, state media reported on Sunday.

The incident occurred when the ill-fated boat and the Panamanian container ship SITC DANANG collided, resulting in the sinking of the fishing vessel some 22 nautical miles southwest of Yinggehai town in Ledong.

Rescuers backed by ships and helicopters swung into action in an area exceeding 5,700 square nautical miles, and located the sunken fishing boat on Saturday with the help of advanced technologies such as underwater robots and remotely operated submersibles, according to the Xinhua News Agency reported.

However, due to the rapid flow of water at the site and the presence of fishing nets around the sunken ship, divers have not been able to enter the cabin.