Sailors Trapped in Sunken Tugboat

Director of Marine Department Roger Tupper said the sailors were trapped in the hull of the ship and could still be alive if they found an air pocket inside their vessel.

However, he said rescue divers had knocked on the boat and did not hear the sailors signal back.

Divers made nine attempts to rescue the trapped sailors but were hindered by strong currents and poor visibility, the Hong Kong government said in a statement.

The Ukrainian tugboat Neftegaz, which was on its way to an oil field south of Hong Kong, collided with Chinese-registered cargo ship Yao Hai late Saturday in waters northwest of Hong Kong's outlying Lantau island, Tupper said.

He said six Ukrainians and a Chinese citizen were rescued from the tugboat and efforts were continuing to find the others.