8 missing in ship collision off Albania coast

Eight sailors on board a Turkish merchant ship are still missing, after it collided with a passenger ferry in the early hours of Thursday off Albania's coast, local media reported. The collision happened at about 1 a.m (2300 GMT) about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the Albanian port of Durres, when a Turkish-owned ship flying a Maltese flag, bounded for Bar in southern Montenegro, collided with a ferry sailing from Durres to Bari of Italy. The merchant ship sank within 10 minutes after collision. And the ship's captain and his deputy were rescued by the ferry. Initial reports said that 3 sailors from the ship had died, but the Durres port authorities later said that 8 sailors out of 10 crew on board are still missing. Police and military ships and helicopters continued a search and rescue operation. The ferry, with about 200 passengers who were reportedly not hurt in the incident, had arrived in Bari, Italy after having stayed at the collision scene since midnight.