Bodies of three sailors were pulled from rough seas off Sharjah coast after an unidentified cargo ship sank in inclement weather, authorities here confirmed on Sunday.

Four crew members were rescued and transported to hospital and later discharged.

Coast Guard and police air wing staff continued to search the area on Sunday for other possible crew members who may be unaccounted for in the sinking of the vessel — it’s not known how many other sailors may have been on board when the ship slipped beneath the frothy waters.

An official at Al Hamriyah Port told Gulf News said the three dead crew members are Indians and range in age between 23 and 32.

Registration details of the lost ship were not divulged by authorities

The vessel sank on Saturday evening eight kilometres off the Sharjah coast where sea remained choppy following Friday’s stormy weather with waves as high as eight metres contributing to the running aground of at least five other vessels along the coast, authorities said. “There were more than seven Indian crew members on board,” the official said.

The police operations room dispatched rescue teams and notified the Coast Guard of the incident

When the rescue teamed arrived at the scene of the sinking ship, they found four men on board while others had jumped into the sea as water had entered the vessel.

The injured were given first aid at the scene and then moved to the hospital as three bodies were pulled from the waters nearby.

Police at Al Hamriyah Port are probing the incident to determine the cause of the incident.

Dr Ahmad Abu Sada, director of emergency section at Khalifa Hospital, told Gulf News that three sailors were dead while four others received treatment and were discharged from hospital on Sunday.

At the same time, Sharjah Police urged beachgoers to avoid going into the sea during unstable weather and be cautious while swimming, particularly during high tide.

Gulf News reported yesterday that five vessels ran aground because of high waves and heavy winds on Friday in Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain.

The UAE Coast Guard had a busy day on Friday as they struggled to rescue the crew from the vessels, with inclement weather hampering their efforts.

Waves were reported to be as high as eight metres near the shore, which forced the five vessels to run aground on Sharjah’s Hamriya shore, Al Hira beach and Umm Al Quwain shore. Three vessels ran aground in Al Hamriya, one at Al Hira beach and one in Umm Al Quwain.

The Asian crew members of the five vessels were rescued by the Coast Guard. They are reported to be in good conditions and are awaiting outgasses at the ports to return home.

“It was a tough and difficult day for the Coast Guard and the control room at Hamriya port, but thank God, there were no human losses," an official said.

source : gulfnews