14 sailors missing off Vietnam coast
HANOI - Rescuers searched Thursday for 14 sailors who were missing and feared dead after an oil tanker capsized off southern Vietnam and began leaking fuel in rough seas, authorities said.
Divers scoured the waters off Binh Thuan province near the capsized ship, which had been transporting 1,700 tons of diesel from Ho Chi Minh City to Danang on the central coast, said Luu Minh Hung, deputy director of Binh Thuan's Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
One sailor was rescued from the tanker, which went missing Sunday, Hung said. Thirteen remained trapped in the vessel and another was lost at sea, he added.
Most of the oil remained aboard the ship although a small amount had leaked through its ventilation system and begun spreading through nearby waters as the capsized vessel drifted off the coast, Hung said.
The Associated Press - March 6, 2008.
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