Swedish freighter sinks in Baltic Sea storm

Thirteen of a crew of 14 on a Swedish cargo ship which sank in the Baltic Sea in stormy weather on Wednesday were rescued.

Thirteen of a crew of 14 on a Swedish cargo ship which sank in the Baltic Sea in stormy weather on Wednesday were rescued but the search for the missing crew member continues, rescuers said.

HT Image

The ship which transported containers had been in distress off Sweden's southeastern coast, with the crew sitting on the hull before it went down off the southeastern Swedish coast around 7:30 pm (1800 GMT).

According to Swedish news agency TT the crew consisted of four Swedes and 10 Filipinos. Thirteen people were rescued by helicopter and taken to a hospital for medical check-ups.

The search for the 14th crew member continued overnight, said TT.

The crew wore survival suits and were in radio contact with nearby ships but were unable to launch life rafts.

The ship had been en route from Helsinki to Aarhus in Denmark.

High seas and heavy winds had made it impossible for rescuers to approach the vessel.

Winds of 72 kilometers (45 miles) per hour and waves of 4.5 meters (15 feet) were reported in the area.