Cargo ship with 30 people on board sinks off coast of Iran

A United Arab Emirates cargo ship has sunk 30 miles away from Iran’s Assaluyeh port.

There were as many as 30 cabin crew members on board the vessel carrying cars.

Staff were wearing life vests but weather conditions were not favourable.

Strong winds have caused storms in the Gulf and disrupted the movement of vessels and maritime activity.

Captain Nizar Qaddoura, the operations manager of the Salem Al Makrani Cargo company, told the Associated Press that the Al Salmy 6 encountered rough and stormy weather, then capsized.

Rescuers had saved 16 crew members, the captain said.

Another 11 had made it onto a life raft, while one person was saved by a nearby tanker. Two crew members were still in the water, he said.

The crew consisted of nationals from Sudan, India, Pakistan, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia, Capt Qaddoura said.

The vessel had been on its way to Umm Qasr, Iraq, carrying cars and other cargo, he added.