A cargo ship has sunk in the Persian Gulf as a massive rescue mission has been launched to save the 30 crew members.
The vessel from the United Arab Emirates was carrying vehicles, Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reports, quoting a safety official at the Bushehr Port and Maritime Administration.
The ship sank 30 miles off Iran's Persian Gulf coast near the port city of Assalouyeh.
Dubai-based Salem Al Makrani Cargo Company confirmed that one of their ships - the Al Salmy 6 - sank this morning.
All but one of the 30 crew members have now been rescued.
A spokesperson said: "Twenty-nine crew members have so far been saved, and rescue operations are continuing to find another team member."
They added that the ship sank in bad weather and that the firm was in touch with Assaluyeh port authorities in Iran as well with Bahraini aerial rescue services for potential assistance.
Jahangir Dehghani said two Iranian rescue vessels were present at the scene of the accident and that meteorologists reported wind speeds of 70 kilometres per hour.
Weather service reports also said waves in the area were up to six metres high.
The crew are made up of citizens from Sudan, India, Pakistan, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia, the captain told The National.
Several rescue boats and a helicopter has been deployed for the mission, according to news reports.
The 138-metre vessel was expected at Umm Qasr Port in Basra, Iraq, on Friday.
It was built in 1983.
Earlier this month, a cargo ship sunk off the coast of Ukraine after an enormous explosion, leaving four crew members missing.
The Estonian-owned cargo ship Helt sunk off the Ukrainian port of Odessa after an explosion, the vessel's manager said.
Two crew members were in a life raft at sea while four others were unaccounted for, Igor Ilves, managing director of Tallinn-based manager Vista Shipping Agency, said.
The ship, which weighed more than 1,500 tonnes, was flying under the Panamanian flag when the disaster happened.
