Hopes fade for sailors trapped in sunken ship off Hong Kong

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

HONG KONG (AFP) — Hopes faded on Monday for 18 Ukrainian crew trapped in their ship on the ocean floor off Hong Kong, where their vessel sank after a weekend collision at sea.

Divers and marine rescuers hoped the sailors could have found an air pocket in their doomed tugboat after the accident on Saturday night, but were racing against the clock more than 36 hours after the disaster.

The Naftogaz-67, a Ukrainian tug, was overturned on the ocean floor at a depth of 37 metres (120 feet) after the wreck, and officials said the men could have found air pockets in the engine room and cabins.

But divers have reported no response from inside the doomed vessel, which was carrying 24 Ukrainian crew and one Chinese sailor. Six Ukrainians and the Chinese sailor were...