Map shows location of sinking British cargo ship as several missing | UK News

A number of crew are still missing following a cargo ship collision in the North Sea.

Two vessels, one of which was British, crashed into one another about 12 nautical miles southwest of Heligoland, off the north coast of Germany.

The Bahaman Polesie and the British Verity collided at around 5am local time.

Read more about the search and rescue effort as it happens in our live blog

The Verity, which was bound for Immingham in Lincolnshire, had left Bremen at around 7pm yesterday. All radio connection was lost at around 3am.

The Polesie was heading from Hamburg to Spain.

It’s believed the Verity has sunk while the larger ship, the Polesie, remained afloat with 22 people on board.

Germany’s central command for maritime emergencies said one person was rescued from the water and was receiving medical treatment.

The German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked Persons, a charity which organises rescue efforts in the North Sea, confirmed of the seven people on board the Verity, one has died, two have been rescued, with four more still missing.

One of the two rescued was taken to hospital on the mainland while another is on board a sea rescue cruiser.

It’s currently believed the 22 people on board the Polesie are uninjured.

Other vessels supporting the rescue effort include the Iona, a P&O Ferries cruise ship, which has doctors on board and could treat people if needed.

More medical personnel were en-route to the scene via helicopter.

Officials have not yet provided the possible cause of the crash. It’s thought the weather conditions in the North Sea at the time were fairly foggy.

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