At least three dead as cargo ship capsizes

A cargo ship bound for the UAE sinks off the Red Sea coast of Egypt shortly after leaving port, killing at least three of the 26 crew, according to agency reports.

ABU DHABI // A cargo ship bound for the UAE sank off the Red Sea coast of Egypt yesterday shortly after leaving port, killing at least three of the 26 crew, according to agency reports. Rescuers, some using helicopters, were said to be searching for 17 sailors after saving six of the crew from the ship, called Ibn Battuta. A port official said that the six were rescued after the 5,600-tonne vessel went down in the sea about 35 nautical miles off the port of Safaga.

The Ibn Battuta was carrying a cargo of silicon and had set sail from the port of Abu Dhunaima, near Safaga, on its way to the UAE, said the international news agency AFP, without giving details of the vessel's ownership. Sources could not immediately say why the ship, with a crew of Sudanese, Indians, and Pakistanis, had capsized, according to reports. * The National