Tokyo, Oct 14 (AP) A Hong Kong-registered freighter sankin rough seas off the Philippine coast, leaving 10 crewmembersmissing, Japan's coast guard said.
It said a distress call was received early yesterday fromthe 33,205-ton Emerald Star from a location about 150 nauticalmiles (280 kilometres) off the Philippines' eastern coast. Itsaid 26 crewmembers, all Indians, were aboard.
The coast guard said three passing freighters rescued 16of the crewmembers from the sea, and a fourth freighter lateralso joined the search in the area where the Hong Kong ship isbelieved to have sunk.
Two patrol aircraft dispatched by the coast guard aresearching from the sky, while three patrol boats are still ontheir way, slowed down by a storm in the area.
Philippine coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said theagency attempted to dispatch a ship and helicopter to helpsearch the area, which is beyond the country's territorialwaters, but were turned back by stormy weather.
Coast guard agencies in nearby countries were alsoalerted about the ship sinking, he said. He said it wasstandard procedure for the Philippines to help out in such acase.
"Search and rescue missions are borderless," Balilo saidby telephone in Manila.
Photos taken by a Japanese coast guard aircraft showed adamaged lifeboat believed to be from the sunken ship floatingin choppy waters, along with traces of an oil leak.
The coast guard said the cause of the sinking was notknown. (AP)CPS.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.