Body of crew member of capsized Iranian vessel found in Persian Gulf

IRNA

Deputy head of Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran in southern Hormuzgan Province said on Monday that the body of one of seven missing crew members of a capsized Iranian vessel was found in the Persian Gulf waters on Monday.

Esmaeil Makizadeh said the search is continuing for the remaining six crew members, whose vessel capsized on Friday near the Strait of Hormuz, according to IRNA.

The crew members included six Iranians and one Indian. The cause of the incident is under investigation.

On Saturday, Makizadeh said that the Kharazm vessel had been discovered earlier in the day in a location 25 miles (42.2km) southeast of Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Press TV.

He did not elaborate on the causes of the incident. He said that passing vessels and rescue forces from neighboring countries had been informed about the missing sailors.

The official said the landing craft relayed a distress signal on Friday evening indicating that it had started taking on water.

A lifeguard boat was dispatched from the Iranian island of Qeshm to provide help but it took until Saturday afternoon to locate the overturned vessel, he said.

Kharazm vessel, carrying 15 excavators, left Oman’s port of Shinas for Iran’s southern port of Bandar Abbas at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Iran’s state television said the Iran Meteorological Organization and local officials had issued special shipping forecasts to warn about bad weather conditions in the region on Friday.