A stricken Iranian oil tanker is sinking in the East China Seas and there is no hope to rescue the crew members, an Iranian maritime official said.
The head of Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran, Mohammad Rastad, has said that there is no hope to find the missing crew members, ISNA reported.
The ship has been ablaze for almost a week since it collided with another vessel on January 6 in the East China Sea and has been drifting into Japanese economic zone over the past several days.
Rescuers earlier this week recovered one body from the sea and two body from the ship after the Iranian vessel collided with the Chinese freight ship, resulting in it being set on fire.
Following the incident, 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis who were working on the oil tanker went missing.
Iranian officials have dispatched army special forces to the scene to rescue the missing sailors but the rescuers failed to enter the tanker due to the huge fire and explosions.
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