Indian and Iranian sailors missing after Iranian ship sinks in Iraqi waters

Iranian official says one crew member died while four others were rescued

The Iranian cargo ship was bound for the southern iraqi port of Umm Qasr. Reuters

An Iranian commercial ship sank in Iraqi waters on Friday, killing one crew member while two others remain missing, the Iranian news agencies said. 
The cargo ship Behbahan left the port of Khorramshahr in south-west Iran on June 2 and was heading towards the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr, the Director General of Maritime Safety and Protection of Ports, Nader Pasandeh. 
One of the missing sailors is an Indian and the other is Iranian, Mr Pasandeh told the Irna news agency, while four crew members were rescued. The ship was carrying construction and ceramic goods.

The Fars news agency said the vessel capsized in bad weather after heavy swells pushed its cargo to one side.

A video of the ship sinking was posted on Twitter by Reza Khaasteh, a reporter for the Iran Front Page News website.

The ship sank late on Thursday in the Khawr Abdullah Channel as it waited to enter Umm Qasr port near the southern Iraqi city of Basra, Iraq's news agency said.
"The ship was loaded with 850 tons of ceramics and the cause of the incident is unknown, the location of where the vessel sank is far from the Iraqi shipping lane and does not hinder maritime navigation," the news agency said.