SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's coast guard said a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship is sinking off the country's southeastern coast and all of its 19 crew members are missing.
The coast guard said in a statement that the 8,461-ton ship had anchored off the port city of Pohang but hit a seawall amid high waves Tuesday.
Coast guard officers said 18 Chinese and one Vietnamese were aboard the ship and were missing more than nine hours after the incident.
The officers said most of the ship had sunk and rescue efforts were being hampered by strong winds and fierce waves.
The ship had unloaded its freight and was to leave for Japan. The coast guard officers said the ship was carrying about 130 tons of bunker oil and diesel fuel. (AP)