October 23, 2002	Wednesday	Sha’aban 16,1423

BAKU, Oct 22: At least 50 passengers and crew were missing and feared drowned on Tuesday after a ship sank in rough weather in the Caspian Sea, a shipping industry source in Azerbaijan said.

The ship’s owners and officials were refusing to confirm that the ship had sunk or give any information about the number of people on board.

According to the source, the Azeri-owned Mercury, which had 20 crew on board and at least 30 passengers, went down with all hands about 100 kilometres east of Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku.

“There are no survivors,” the source said.

The vessel’s captain had broadcast a distress signal, but soon after the radio contact was lost. Rescuers sent to the ship’s last known position found that it had sunk, said the source.

The vessel was sailing from the port of Aktau, Kazakhstan, to Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, carrying cargo and passengers.

The Caspian is inland but is prone to very rough seas. The weather in the area deteriorated sharply on Monday night with strong winds and heavy rain.

In July an oil tanker owned by the same company exploded at a Caspian Sea port in Turkmenistan, killing six crewmen.—AFP