Lebanon: 9 dead so far in cargo ship sinking

December 18, 2009 07:03 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 06:38 am IST - Tripoli

In this photo taken on Thursday Red Cross workers evacuate a man who was pulled from the water after the Panamanian-flagged ship Danny F II, sank 11 miles (17 kilometers) from the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon. The cargo ship carrying 83 crew members and a load of cattle sank off the Lebanese coast on Thursday in stormy weather, and hours later rescuers had pulled 12 people from the water, officials said.

In this photo taken on Thursday Red Cross workers evacuate a man who was pulled from the water after the Panamanian-flagged ship Danny F II, sank 11 miles (17 kilometers) from the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon. The cargo ship carrying 83 crew members and a load of cattle sank off the Lebanese coast on Thursday in stormy weather, and hours later rescuers had pulled 12 people from the water, officials said.

Rescue workers combed the stormy waters off Lebanon on Friday after a cargo ship capsized, killing at least nine crewmembers and leaving dozens missing.

The Panamanian—flagged cargo ship carrying livestock went down on Thursday in heavy rain.

A senior Lebanese army officer said 35 people were still missing. Of the 83 crewmembers on board, 39 were rescued and nine bodies were retrieved, said the officer on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The crew members were from Britain, Australia, Russia, Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Uruguay, the state—run National News Agency reported.

Nicola Dazies, a political officer at the British Embassy confirmed there were two British citizens on the ship. Their fate is still unknown, she said. Dazies added that a British consular team was working with the Lebanese authorities on this matter.

Rescue operations were continuing despite high waves. Red Cross workers helped several dazed survivors, covered in woolen blankets, into ambulances Friday; one man, unable to walk, grimaced as a rescue worker carried him over his shoulder.

One man who was rushed into an ambulance identified himself as a citizen of Uruguay. After speaking with him, Uruguay’s ambassador Jorge Jure told The Associated Press “he feels very good. Look, he’s very good.”

Another man who was carried on a stretcher into an ambulance and had his right hand bandaged only said he is from Pakistan.

The rescue effort was being carried out by the Lebanese navy, U.N. peacekeeping force, two civilian ships and two British helicopters from Cyprus.

The ship was believed to have been sailing from Uruguay to Syria, carrying thousands of sheep and other livestock. It went down Thursday afternoon some 11 miles (17 kilometers) from the Lebanese port city of Tripoli.

Andrea Tenenti, a spokesman for the UNIFIL peacekeeping force, identified the vessel as the Danny F II.

Last week, a freighter heading to an Israeli port sank in stormy weather in international waters near the Lebanese coast. Six of its 12 crew members were rescued. That ship was headed from Greece to the northern Israeli port of Haifa.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.