KIEV, March 23 (RIA Novosti) - Nineteen sailors went missing after a Ukrainian ship sank off the southern coast of China, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
"On March 22, 2008, at 1:26 p.m. GMT, the Ukrainian ship, Naftogaz-67, collided with a Chinese vessel near Hong Kong in the South China Sea. The Ukrainian ship with 25 crewmembers, 24 of whom are Ukrainian citizens, sank," the ministry said in a statement.
According to the ministry, six Ukrainian citizens were rescued and their condition was satisfactory.
Rescue operations involving local rescue services are under way.
