Ship sinks off South African coast, 27 missing

Twenty-seven crew members were missing after a bulk carrier sank off South Africa's notoriously dangerous southeastern coast.

Twenty-seven crew members were missing after a bulk carrier sank off South Africa's notoriously dangerous southeastern coast, a National Sea Rescue Institute spokesman said on Thursday.

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The Alexandros T, which was sailing from Brazil to China with a load of steel, broke up at around 8:00 pm on Wednesday in stormy weather around 300 nautical miles off the east coast harbour city Port Elizabeth.

"There were 33 crew members on board. Six have so far been rescued, but around 27 are still believed to be out there," operations coordinator Gavin Riddle said.