TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The Iranian company whose oil tanker burst into flames after a collision in the East China Sea says there is still hope of finding survivors.
Mohsen Bahrami, a spokesman for National Iranian Tanker Co., said Tuesday that rescuers would "likely" find survivors as "the engine room is not directly affected by the fire and is about 14 meters (yards) under water." He added: "There is still hope."
The body of one of the 32 crewmen has been recovered, while the other 31 are missing.
The tanker was carrying 136,000 metric tons (nearly 1 million barrels) of condensate when it collided with the Hong Kong-registered freighter CF Crystal late Saturday. The 21 members of the Crystal's all-Chinese crew were rescued.
It wasn't immediately clear what caused the collision.