Twenty-three seafarers were rescued from a cargo vessel as it gradually sank in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, July 14, Iran's Fars state-owned news outlet has reported.
The Saint Kitts-registered bulk carrier Luni was in an anchorage in the northern portion of the strait just off the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas when she suffered water ingress on Tuesday.
The ship's 23-strong crew, all of whom have been identified as foreign nationals, were evacuated from the ship, which subsequently split in half and has become partially submerged.
Reports stated that Luni had collided with another vessel several days prior to the sinking. Local officials believe the damage suffered by her hull from that earlier incident ultimately caused her to take on water and break apart.
Local media reports stated that the incident occurred at around the same time that explosions were heard around Bandar Abbas and nearby Qeshm Island. However, it has not yet been determined whether these were connected to the sinking.