Seven missing after South Korean cargo ship sinks

SEOUL—Seven crewmen were missing and 14 others were rescued after a South Korean bulk carrier sank in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), Seoul’s foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The 15,000-ton ship, which survived an encounter with Somali pirates in 2008, went down 350 nautical miles south of Hong Kong on Monday afternoon while sailing through heavy seas for China from Penang in Malaysia.

Six South Koreans and eight Myanmarese were rescued by nearby ships but three Koreans and four Myanmarese were still missing, a foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

“We are closely cooperating with Hong Kong and Vietnamese authorities to search for the missing crew,” the official said.

Hong Kong rescue authorities sent helicopters to search the area and China was set to deploy two military ships to support the rescue, the official said.

It was not immediately clear why the Bright Ruby sank but it was presumed to have been battered by high waves and strong winds.

In September 2008 the ship was hijacked by Somali pirates off the Gulf of Aden. The vessel and its eight South Korean crewmen were released after 37 days in captivity.