Strong Winds and Waves Hamper China Rescue of 31 Seamen

Rescuers fought strong winds and waves, as they searched for 31 sailors missing after the sinking of a Panama-registered freighter off China's south-eastern coast, the government said.

Four sailors had been rescued along with two bodies since the freighter sank on Thursday off Pingtan Island in Fujian province, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The "Hengda 1" sank with 37 crewmembers aboard, after hitting a coral reef in stormy weather, according to the government.

On Sunday, the East China Sea Salvage Bureau under China's Ministry of Communications sent a 14-member rescue team, including 10 divers and engineers, to join the rescue effort, but operations were hampered by fierce wind and high waves, Xinhua said.

A rescue official said earlier that the ship was bound for Indonesia with a cargo of seafood. Xinhua said that all the crew members were Chinese, but did not give their identities.

Panama's Maritime Authority said on Saturday that it would send an investigator to China to look into the incident. It is the second fatal sinking of a ship of its registry this month.

On February 3rd, the "Al-Salaam Boccaccio 98," a ferry bearing Panamanian registry, sank in the Red Sea, killing about 1,000 people.

Panama has one of the largest ship registries in the world, with 6,500 vessels flying its flag.
It is widely considered a 'flag of convenience,' because of the country's low registration costs and requirements. The Maritime Authority said earlier this month that it will tighten oversight of the companies that inspect its ships.