Cargo vessel sinks after collision near China port

A cargo vessel sank on Thursday in waters off Guangzhou port in China after colliding with another ship, authorities said.

According to maritime bureau of Guangzhou city in Guangdong province, the collision happened around 3 a.m.

Seven people and 57 containers on board the cargo vessel fell into the sea. But all the people were rescued by 4:20 a.m. and the vessel sank later, Xinhua news agency reported.

Officials said four marine patrol ships were sent to the accident site for rescue and a temporary traffic control was set up in the waters nearby.

A search operation has been launched to locate the containers and the sunken ship.