Related: Search continues for missing sailors on Panamanian freighter

Cargo ship sinks, 31 sailors still missing

   

One of Chinese crew members were rescured. (Xinhua Photo)

 FUZHOU, Feb. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Sixty-seven ships and 2,377 people are searching for the 31 sailors who went missing after a Panamanian freighter ran aground in the sea area off East China's Fujian Province on Thursday.

    The rescue operation has been extended to a wider area of sea, including areas near local islands and polders, as it entered the third day on Sunday, local salvage department sources said.

    The accident occurred at 11:23 p.m. Thursday when the ship, Heng Da 1, hit a reef. All 37 Chinese crew members fell overboard.

    So far only two of the crew members have been saved and the bodies of four victims recovered. The 31 others are still missing, according to salvage sources in Fujian.

    The East China Sea Salvage Bureau under the Ministry of Communications dispatched a 14-member rescue team, including 10 divers and engineers, on Sunday to join the rescue efforts.

    Strong wind and high waves have hampered the rescue operation, said the rescuers. Enditem