14 missing after tanker, barge collide near Shanghai

A total of 14 people have been reported as missing after an oil tanker and a barge collided off Shanghai, China, on Thursday, August 20.

Local maritime officials said the collision between the oil tanker Long Qing 1 and the sand barge Shun Da 11 occurred in the early morning hours (local time) of Thursday near the estuary of the Yangtze River.

Shortly after the collision, the barge sank while the tanker, which was carrying around 3,000 tonnes of petrol, caught fire.

Search and rescue (SAR) teams later arrived at the scene and picked up three survivors floating in the water.

The SAR teams are continuing to comb the area for any trace of the 14 missing crew from the two vessels.