Cargo Ship Sinks Near Rotterdam Port, Killing At Least Three

A cargo ship carrying cars sank after it collided with a container ship in the North Sea, killing at least three crew members, Reuters reported.

The incident occurred on Wednesday night off of Rotterdam Port. The carrier, the Baltic Ace collided with the Corvus J which is a container ship from Cyprus.

Reuters reported that Dutch news agency, ANP reported that 13 of 24 crew members on the Baltic Ace have been rescued and taken to the hospital. Some members of the crew were found on life rafts and lifted to safety.

Coast Guard spokesman Marcel Oldenburger said to The Associated Press, "We can confirm that four bodies have been found, along with 13 people rescued alive."

The Baltic Ace was on its way from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Kotka, Finland while the Corvus J departed from Grangemouth, Scotland and was headed to Antwerp, Belgium, reported Reuters.

The AP reported rescuers were using infrared cameras to look for more survivors. A spokesman for rescuers told Dutch television four hours after the incident, "We still hope to find them." He added that if they are in the water, their chances for survival are shrinking.

Peter Westenburg added from the Dutch Coast Guard said to The Daily Mail, "Given the water temperature and the amount of time that's passed, we don't have any hope for more survivors."

Dutch Defense Ministry said in a statement that they have also added two navy patrol ships as well as helicopters are still trying to search.

What caused the collision is still not known. The Coast Guard spokesman said to the AP, "At the moment we are solely focused on getting the people to safety."