Dubai-based Salem Al Makrani Cargo Company confirmed on Thursday that one of their ships capsized off the coast of Iran in the Persian Gulf and that Iranian authorities had sent a vessel to rescue the 30 crew members abroad the ship.
The ship, which had left Dubai few days ago, was bound for the port of Umm Qasr in Southern Iraq and it was carrying cars and other cargo.
According to the AFP report, captain Nizar Qaddoura, the firm’s operations manager, said that 16 crew members were rescued till now while 11 survivors made it into life rafts. The Iranian authorities said all but one member of the cargo ship was rescued by the rescue forces.
Also read |
Everything we know about the new COVID-19 variant found in Israel
The authorities also said two Iranian rescue vessels were present at the scene of the accident and that meteorologists reported wind speeds of 70 kilometres per hour, according to Reuters.
“Twenty-nine crew members have so far been saved, and rescue operations are continuing to find another team member,” an official from Iran’s Bushehr Province told IRNA.
Although the reason is not clear yet, the company said the turbulent waters due to bad weather resulted in the capsizing. The crew mainly comprised of individuals from India, Pakistan, Uganda, Sudan, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
Also read |
Ukraine to get US Stingers, Javelin, anti-armour systems; is it a gamechanger?
The incident took place around 30 miles (50 km) off the coast of Asaluyeh in Southern Iran, according to the IRNA news agency. They further reported that the authorities faced a lot of challenges while conduction the rescue operation due to stormy weather.
Watch | First cargo ship powered by liquid hydrogen unveiled in France
(With inputs from agencies)
