HANOI — A Norwegian cargo ship with 19
Filipino crew members sank off the coast of southern Vietnam with only one man
known to have survived, officials said today.
Two bodies have been recovered
since the Bulk Jupiter sank Friday en route from Malaysia to China, and
Vietnamese rescuers aided by commercial ships passing through the area
continued to search for the others, according to Vietnamese authorities and the
Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs.
The lone survivor was the chief
cook on the ship, but he is refusing to cooperate with rescuers, making the
search more difficult, a Vietnamese rescue official told The Associated Press
on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to media.
The man refused to say what
happened with the ship, the official said. It wasn't clear why he wasn't
talking.
The ship owner, Bergen-based
Gearbulk, said the vessel was 287 kilometers off Vietnam with a cargo of bauxite
when it sent a distress signal that was picked up by the Japanese coast guard.
The Philippine Foreign Affairs, said the 623-foot long, 56,000-ton ship sank
off the coast of Vung Tau, which is about 96 kilometers from the southern
commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City.
The rescue operation was hampered
Saturday by hazy weather and high waves.
Vessels from Liberia, Oman,
Singapore and China were helping in the search, the Philippine Foreign Affairs
said.
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