国内英语新闻:Hong Kong ship sinks off east China after collision with freighter

JINAN, May 2 (Xinhua) -- A Hong Kong cargo ship sank off Weihai City, east China's Shandong Province, Sunday after a collision with a Liberian-registered freighter, rescuers said.

All 46 crew members of the two vessels were safe after the accident at 5:23 a.m., the city's maritime safety bureau said in a statement.

The accident could have occurred in foggy conditions at the time, said Li Zhiqiang, an official with the city's maritime safety bureau

The 23 Chinese crew of the Hong Kong-registered Bright Century and the 23 Indian crew of the Liberia-registered Sea Success had been rescued as of noon, he said.

Water had flooded into the damaged prow of the Sea Success, but the vessel was still afloat.

The bureau had dispatched a ship to shadow the vessel as it was still in negotiations with the owner about the cost of towing the ship to port.

The bureau is investigating the cause of the accident.