Abandoned Ship Sinks

The Chinese merchant vessel, Asian Forest — abandoned by its crew off Mangalore coast when it listed on Saturday afternoon — has sunk. It sank about 6 nautical miles (11 km) southwest of the New Mangalore Port. The Coast Guard sources said the officials in its fast patrol vessel, Kasturba Gandhi, who had kept a watch since Saturday night, had reported that it had submerged fully.Braving the rough weather, four Coast Guard officials continued to keep vigil around the area where it sank to see whether there was any leakage of fuel from the ship. Since the ships carried heavy load of fuel, any leak could harm undersea life and ecosystem besides posing health hazard to people along the nearby coast.