SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A Chinese salvage team recovered two bodies on Saturday from a stricken Iranian oil tanker, that was still blazing a week after it caught fire and was left adrift following a collision in the East China Sea, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The four members of the salvage team wore respirators to board the “Sanchi”, where they found the two bodies on the deck.

They tried to get to the living quarters but were driven back by temperatures on the burning ship of around 89 Celsius (192 Fahrenheit), Xinhua said.

The body of a mariner suspected to be from the ship was recovered on Monday and sent to Shanghai for identification. The rest of the crew, which included 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, remains missing.

The salvage team recovered the voyage data recorder, or “black box” from the bridge, before leaving the vessel less than half an hour after boarding because the wind had shifted and “thick toxic smoke” had complicated the operation, Xinhua said. </s> SHANGHAI, Jan 13 (Reuters) - A Chinese salvage team recovered two bodies on Saturday from a stricken Iranian oil tanker, that was still blazing a week after it caught fire and was left adrift following a collision in the East China Sea, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The four members of the salvage team wore respirators to board the "Sanchi", where they found the two bodies on the deck.

They tried to get to the living quarters but were driven back by temperatures on the burning ship of around 89 Celsius (192 Fahrenheit), Xinhua said.

The body of a mariner suspected to be from the ship was recovered on Monday and sent to Shanghai for identification. The rest of the crew, which included 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, remains missing.

The salvage team recovered the voyage data recorder, or "black box" from the bridge, before leaving the vessel less than half an hour after boarding because the wind had shifted and "thick toxic smoke" had complicated the operation, Xinhua said. (Reporting by Winni Zhou and John Ruwitch; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) </s> SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A Chinese salvage team recovered two bodies on Saturday from a stricken Iranian oil tanker, that was still blazing a week after it caught fire and was left adrift following a collision in the East China Sea, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The four members of the salvage team wore respirators to board the “Sanchi”, where they found the two bodies on the deck.

They tried to get to the living quarters but were driven back by temperatures on the burning ship of around 89 Celsius (192 Fahrenheit), Xinhua said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif by telephone that “as long as there is 1 percent of hope, China will continue to make 100 percent effort” in the rescue effort, according to a report on the ministry website.

The body of a mariner suspected to be from the ship was recovered on Monday and sent to Shanghai for identification. The rest of the crew, which included 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, remains missing.

The salvage team recovered the voyage data recorder, or “black box” from the bridge, before leaving the vessel less than half an hour after boarding because the wind had shifted and “thick toxic smoke” had complicated the operation, Xinhua said. </s> TEHRAN, IRAN—A burning Iranian tanker listing for days off the coast of China after a collision with another vessel sank Sunday, with an Iranian official saying there was “no hope” of survival for the 29 missing sailors onboard.

Iranian state television reported that the Sanchi had sunk Sunday, days after its collision in the East China Sea. An anchorwoman on state television also offered condolences on behalf of the nation for the loss.

State TV quoted Mahmoud Rastad, the chief of Iran’s maritime agency, as saying: “There is no hope of finding survivors among the (missing) 29 members of the crew.”

Chinese officials could not be immediately reached for comment Sunday night, though the state-run broadcaster CGTN reported that the Sanchi had sunk. CGTN also said the ship’s voice data recorder, which functions like “black boxes” on aircraft, had been recovered.

The cause of the collision, 257 kilometres off the coast of Shanghai, remains unclear. Three bodies have been recovered from the sea, leaving 29 crew members still unaccounted for. The crew was all Iranian expect for two Bangladeshis. </s> At least 32 crew members have been reportedly gone missing after two vessels, one from Iran and another from China, collided into each other in the China’s east coast on late Saturday night. While all the 21 crew members on Chinese vessel have been successfully rescued, an official from Transport Ministry of China confirmed. Most of the people missing after the accident are Iranians and according to reports, authorities have launched a full-scale rescue operation to retrieve the missing crew.

On late Saturday night, an oil tanker from Iran and a cargo ship from China rammed into each other. The accident resulted in massive fire and huge oil spillage in waters about 160 nautical miles east of Shanghai. The Iranian tanker Sanchi was reportedly carrying 136,000 tonnes of oil and was on fire till early Sunday morning, authorities reported. Among the 32 people missing from the oil tanker, 30 are from Iran and 2 from Bangladesh.

On other hand, the cargo ship CF Crystal was damaged in the accident as well but as per China’s transport ministry, the safety of the freighter was not jeopardised and all of the 21 crew members on board were successfully rescued from the spot. The Chinese maritime authorities immediately rushed eight rescue ships to the site of accident while South Korea joined hands in the operation as well by sending a plane and a coast guard ship. </s> (CNN) — Thirty-two sailors are missing after an oil tanker and freight ship collided off the east coast of China Saturday, according to China’s Ministry of Transport.

The missing — 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshi citizens — are all crew members from the Panama-registered tanker SANCHI, the ministry said.

The collision took place approximately 160 nautical miles (184 statute miles) east of the mouth of the Yangtze River, at about 8 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET), it said in a statement.

“The accident caused oil tanker ‘SANCHI’ to catch on fire, tilting to the right, losing contact with the crew,” it said.

All 21 Chinese crew on board the Hong-Kong registered freighter the CF-Crystal were rescued, the ministry said.

The 274 meter-long (nearly 890 feet-long) SANCHI was carrying 136,000 tons of oil from Iran to South Korea when it collided with the CF Crystal, which had been transporting food from the United States to the Chinese city of Guangdong, it said.

The ministry said that the tanker was still afloat and burning Sunday morning 9 a.m. local time: “Until now, ‘SANCHI’ is floating and still on fire. There are fuel stains on the sea, the rescue is going on.”

The People’s Daily newspaper tweeted a photo that appeared to show the ship ablaze.

Chinese maritime officials have launched a search and rescue operation involving eight vessels, with support from South Korea, which has provided a coastguard ship and fixed wing aircraft, the ministry said.

Iran’s Shana news agency, which focuses on the country’s petroleum and energy sectors, reported that the SANCHI was managed by the National Iranian Tanker Company and that its cargo was worth around $60 million. Shana said the oil had been purchased by South Korean customers. </s> TEHRAN, Iran — A burning Iranian oil tanker exploded and sank Sunday after more than a week listing off the coast of China, as an Iranian official acknowledged there was "no hope" of missing sailors surviving the disaster.

The collision and disaster of the Sanchi, which carried 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, had transfixed an Iran still reeling from days of protests and unrest that swept the country at the start of the year.

Families of the sailors wept and screamed at the headquarters of the National Iranian Tanker Co. in Tehran, the private company that owns the Sanchi. Some needed to be taken by ambulance to nearby hospitals as they were so overwhelmed by the news.

"Thirty-two people died without a funeral and without coffins! They burned to ashes while their families were wailing here!" cried out one woman who didn't give her name. The government "has come after 10 days to sympathize with them? What sympathy are you talking about?"

State TV earlier quoted Mahmoud Rastad, the chief of Iran's maritime agency, as saying: "There is no hope of finding survivors among the (missing) 29 members of the crew."

President Hassan Rouhani expressed his condolences and called on relevant government agencies to investigate the tragedy and take any necessary legal measures, according to state TV. In a message, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed his condolences and sympathy with the victims' families, his own website, Khamenei.ir, reported Sunday. The government also announced Monday as a nationwide day of public mourning over the disaster.

The cause of the Jan. 6 collision between the Sanchi and the Chinese freighter CF Crystal, 257 kilometres off the coast of Shanghai, remains unclear. The CF Crystal had 21 crew members, all of whom were reported safe.

But the Sanchi, carrying nearly 1 million barrels of a gassy, ultra-light oil bound for South Korea, burst into flames. Chinese officials blamed poor weather for complicating their rescue efforts. Thirteen ships, including one from South Korea and two from Japan, engaged in the rescue and cleanup effort Saturday, spraying foam in an effort to extinguish the fire.

But around noon Sunday, Chinese state media reported that a large explosion shook the Sanchi, its hull and superstructure completely stripped of paint by the flames. The ship then sank into the sea. </s> KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - An official says two Chinese sailors have been rescued more than 50 hours after their sand dredger capsized off Malaysia's southern coast.

Three more bodies were also discovered, leaving nine others still missing.

Coast guard official Sanifah Yusof says divers found the two sailors in the ship's engine room on Friday, apparently trapped in an air bubble that had kept them alive after the vessel overturned on Wednesday.

In This Friday, March 23, 2018, photo, a rescue team carries an unidentified Chinese national who was rescued from a capsized sand-dredging vessel in Parit Jawa, Muar, Malaysia. The Chinese sand-dredger had capsized off the country's southern coast Wednesday, killing a crew member and leaving over a dozen others missing. (AP Photo/Chong)

Sanifah says rescuers also discovered a body floating near the vessel and two more, including a woman inside the ship, on Saturday. He says this brought the death toll to four and left nine others, including a Malaysian and an Indonesian, unaccounted for. </s> A burning Iranian tanker listing for days off the coast of China after a collision with another vessel sank Sunday, with an Iranian official saying there was "no hope" of survival for the 29 missing sailors onboard.

Iranian state television reported that the Sanchi had sunk Sunday, days after its collision in the East China Sea. An anchorwoman on state television also offered condolences on behalf of the nation for the loss.

China's state broadcaster confirmed the ship had sunk and also said the ship's voice data recorder, which functions like "black boxes" on aircraft, had been recovered.

The cause of the collision, 160 miles off the coast of Shanghai, remains unclear. Three bodies have been recovered from the sea, leaving 29 crew members still unaccounted for. The crew was all Iranian expect for two Bangladeshis.

Iranian state TV had earlier quoted the chief of Iran's maritime agency, Mahmoud Rastad, as saying: "There is no hope of finding survivors among the (missing) 29 members of the crew."

The Chinese freighter CF Crystal, which collided with the Panamanian-registered tanker, had 21 crew members, all of whom were reported safe.

Thirteen ships, including one from South Korea and two from Japan, were engaged in the rescue and cleanup effort Saturday, spraying foam in an effort to extinguish the fire. The tanker was carrying a cargo of nearly 1 million barrels of condensate, a type of gassy, ultra-light oil that readily evaporates or burns off in a fire, reducing the chance of a major oil spill.

Intense flames, bad weather and poor visibility have all hampered rescue efforts.
A Chinese rescue team recovers two bodies from the MV Sanchi and salvages the voyage data recorder from the bridge.