Several people are missing after a collision between two cargo ships in the North Sea, one of which is believed to have sunk, the sea rescue service in the city of Cuxhaven (northwest Germany) announced on Tuesday.
The collision occurred around 5 a.m. (local time) off the coast of Germany, 22 km southwest of the German island of Heligoland.
Maritime authorities say they “suspect” that the smaller of the two ships, the Verity, 91 meters long and 14 meters wide, sank. This British flagged ship came from Bremen (Germany) and was en route to Immingham (UK).
The second, 190 meter long and 29 meter wide “Polesie”, flying the Bahamas flag, came from the German port of Hamburg and was on its way to La Coruña, Spain.
“Several people are missing,” says the Cuxhaven rescue announcement, which states that several rescue ships are currently looking for the shipwrecked people.