A rescue team has found the bodies of two people on the burning Sanchi oil tanker in the East China Sea, after another body was found Monday. The rescue team was also able to recover the ship's data and video recordings.
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The bodies of two crew members were recovered on Saturday from the burning oil tanker, which has been on fire for a week, after it crashed into a freighter in the East China Sea, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Rescuers found the bodies on the lifeboat deck of the Panama-registered boat, named the Sanchi, on Saturday morning, state CCTV added.
Another body suspected to be from the ship was recovered from the sea earlier this week, leaving 29 crew members still unaccounted for. The crew was all Iranian expect for two Bangladeshis.
The vessel, which was travelling from Iran to South Korea, crashed about 250 kilometers (160 nautical miles) off the coast near Shanghai and the mouth of the Yangtze River Delta on January 6.
Ship's data retrieved
The rescue team was only able to stay on board the burning 274-meter-long (898 feet) vessel for 30 minutes due to "thick toxic smoke," state news agency Xinhua reported, but managed to retrieve the ship's data and video recordings.
They were unable to continue the search for missing people in the crew's living quarters due to temperatures of up to 89 degrees Celsius (192 degrees Fahrenheit).
Thirteen ships, including one from South Korea and two from Japan, were involved in rescue and clean-up operations on Saturday, spraying foam on the ship to extinguish the fire.
Oil spill in California
Poisoned beaches and dead animals: Thousands of liters of crude oil have leaked from a pipeline in California into the Pacific Ocean. The oil slick continues to spread, reaching pristine beaches and marine reserves.
Image: Reuters/L. Nicholson
Joint effort along the beach
Thousands of gallons of crude oil leaked into the ocean just outside Santa Barbara in the US state of California on Tuesday, May 19, 2015. Rescue teams trying to clear up the muddy residue were being assisted by volunteers along the Pacific coastline.
Image: picture-alliance/EPA/M. Nelson
Oil slick continues for miles
The oil spill on the California coastline turned out to be more damaging than initially expected; early forecasts estimated an oil slick of 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) along the Pacific shoreline, but the US Coast Guard updated its own calculations to more than 9 miles (15 kilometers).
Image: Reuters/L. Nicholson
Faulty pipeline to blame
A malfunctioning underground pipeline was determined to be the root cause of the environmental emergency. The 23-inch (60 centimeter) system of ducts broke down, creating the leak. Crude oil began to spill into a canal at first, eventually reaching the open ocean. Only after several hours did the emergency crews manage to close off the leak, bringing the situation under control at last.
Image: Reuters/L. Nicholson
Muddy waters and ocean blues
More than 100,000 gallons (380,000 liters) of crude oil were estimated to have leaked. Experts predict that roughly 20,000 gallons (76,000 liters) managed to reach the sea. It is uncertain why the 11-mile-long pipeline (18 kilometers), which had been built in 1991, ruptured on Tuesday.
Image: Getty Images/D. McNew
Lasting consequences
This was the biggest oil spill to hit Santa Barbara County and its surroundings since 1969. Environmentalists remain apprehensive about possible dramatic consequences. The operators of the pipeline, Plains All-American Pipeline, said that it accepted full responsibility for the accident and would cover all clean up costs associated with the spill.
Image: Reuters/L. Nicholson
Race against time
Many locals joined the desperate efforts to clean up the oil slick along the beaches, using household buckets and shovels, and even their bare hands. No one knew how long it might take until California's coastline would be free of contamination, but volunteers thought it might be months until they could enjoy the affected beaches again.
Image: Reuters/L. Nicholson
Environmental impact
Environmental activists consider the oil spill outside Santa Barbara a serious threat to sea birds and marine life. They are particularly worried about ocean mammals, including gray whales and blue whales, but also the endangered humpback whales. Many animals, such as the bird pictured above, are expected to be severely affected.
Image: Reuters/L. Nicholson
Buckets and buckets of black tide
Rescue teams collected bucket loads of crude oil along Santa Barbara's sunny beaches. But instead of inhaling the invigorating sea breeze they were exposed to the stench of oily tar and death.
Image: Reuters/L. Nicholson
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The tanker was carrying cargo of nearly 1 million barrels of condensate, a type of gassy, ultra-light oil that readily evaporates or burns off in a fire, reducing the chance of a major oil spill.
In comparison, the Exxon Valdez had 1.26 million barrels of crude oil on board when it spilled 260,000 barrels into Prince William Sound off Alaska in 1989, in the second largest oil spill in American history.
The Hong Kong-registered cargo ship that the Sanchi collided with, which was carrying grain, suffered some damage but "without jeopardizing the safety of the ship," the ministry said. The 21 Chinese crew aboard the vessel were rescued.
Authorities had expressed concern over the tanker exploding, but did not mention the possibility on Saturday.
