Ship collision off Albanian coast. 3 dead and 5 missing reported

by Alfred Kola

A Malta-flagged, Turkish owned cargo ship sank off the coast of Albania early Thursday, after it collided with a passenger ferry, some 20 miles off the coast of Albania. 3 crew members of the cargo ship are reported dead and five are missing.

Two sailors have been rescued so far, but the prospects of finding other survivors are bleak – port officials told News24, an Albanian news television.

The incident happened when the Maltese ship, ‘Reina 1’,  owned by a Turkish national, collided with a ferry on the Durres-Bari (Italy) route, " harbour official Edmond Doraci told AFP.

The cargo ship was destined sailing the Adriatic towards Montenegro, while the Turkish-flagged ‘Ankara’ passenger ferry had left Albanian port of Durres en route to Bari, Italy.

The ‘Reina 1’ sank soon after it collided. Albanian and Italian rescue ships converged on the area.

There are no reports for injuries among passengers of the ferry, which has been halted at the scene of the accident.

Police gives no information on the cause of the collision,but  investigations are still underway.