Somalia-bound vessel sinks, crew missing

A cargo vessel carrying rice from Gujarat to Somalia sank about 20 miles off Jakhau Port, about 130 km from Bhuj, on Saturday morning. Till evening, there was no news about the fate of the 20-member crew.

According to police and Coast Guard sources, the ship Al Shehenshah-e-Hind started sinking at Kori Creek around 6.30 am after it collided with rocks. The last message received through VHF was at 8.30 am, the ship8217;s owners said.

8216;8216;The entire crew had left the ship in a lifeboat later in the morning as per available reports,8217;8217; said O M Rawal, an officer at Jakhau police station. Most of the crew members are Muslims from Jamnagar district. The Coast Guard has pressed into service five boats and a helicopter to locate them.