Two cargo ships collide in Baltic sea, rescue crews search for two missing people
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The Danish ship appeared to be upside down. It had two people on board and their status is not known, however the British ship is still functional and the crew is safe
At least two people are missing after two cargo ships collided Monday in the Baltic Sea between the Danish island of Bornholm and the southern Swedish city of Ystad.
One ship was registered in Denmark, and the other was British.
Maritime authorities in Sweden report that a Danish-registered ship, the Karin Hoej, has capsized and is upside down. Two people were aboard, and they are still missing, according to the Danish Defense's Joint Operations Centre (JOC).
The Scot Carrier, a British-registered ship, was functional and its crew was safe.
The Swedish Maritime Administration has confirmed that the early morning collision between two cargo ships south of Sweden has left two people missing.
"Shortly after half past 3 am (0230GMT), we received an alert through our sea and flight rescue central that two freight vessels have collided between Ystad and Bornholm," Carl-Johan Linde, head of press at the Swedish Maritime Administration, told AFP, adding that a rescue operation was underway to find two people that fell into the water.
"I can confirm an accident has happened, but I do not know the circumstances," Soren Hoj, managing director of the shipping company Rederiet Hoj, which owns the Karin Hoej.
According to him, two people were onboard the vessel, which was heading from Sodertalje in Sweden to Nykobing Falster in southern Denmark.
"A major rescue operation is taking place," Hoj said.
Denmark is assisting Swedish authorities in the rescue operation. From Bornholm, a rescue boat has been dispatched, and a helicopter has been dispatched from Denmark.
Civilian vessels were also helping with the search and rescue operations in the vicinity.
There was fog in the area around 3.30 am at the time of the accident, according to a spokesperson for the Danish Meteorological Institute.
The accident occurred in Swedish territorial waters, with the two ships sailing in the same direction when they came into contact, according to the Danish JOC.
Swedish news agency TT cited a Swedish coastguard spokesman as saying one of the vessels was 90 metres long and the other was 55 metres.
(With inputs from agencies)