Rescue divers are searching for signs of life on a British cargo boat that crashed and sank this morning as four sailors remain missing.
One sailor has died and two have been rescued, reveal German authorities.
The four missing crew members may be alive and sheltering inside the vessel on the sea floor, the spokesperson said during a press conference alongside the German maritime search and rescue service.
The ships, Polesie and Verity, collided in the early morning about 14 miles south-west of the island of Helgoland, Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said.
Verity was headed from Bremen, Germany, to the English port of Immingham. The other ship, the Bahamas-flagged Polesie, remained afloat with 22 people on board.
A P&O cruise called the Iona which was travelling from Hamburg is helping with the urgent rescue mission, confirmed officals.
According to reports, passengers were panicked when there was an onboard Captain announcement at 6am this morning.
A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said: “P&O Cruises Iona is currently involved in a search and rescue operation off the coast of Germany.
“The incident is ongoing and Iona’s cooperation complies with international maritime law as well as being consistent with the company’s moral and legal obligations.”
