DHAKA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Twelve people were missing after a coal laden vessel sank off southeastern Bangladesh Thursday, authorities said.
The vessel, carrying 1,100 metric tonnes of coal, sank near a gas field in the Bay of Bengal Thursday morning with 12 people onboard.
The Sangu gas field is located some 35 km southwest of Bangladesh's seaport city Chattogram, some 242 km away of capital Dhaka.
Mahbub Rashid, executive director of Water Transport Cell, told journalists that the vessel's engine went out of order and it capsized at around 10:00 a.m. (local time) amid inclement weather.
A crack was developed in the Dhaka-bound vessel "Hira Parbat-8" and it eventually sank. All 12 crew members had been missing since then, Rashid said.
A massive search for the ill-fated crew members is under way, he added.
Bangladesh Coast Guard and Bangladesh Navy personnel are working jointly to rescue the missing sailors, said the official.
