ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — The Latest on a cargo ship overturned off Georgia coast (all times local):
2 p.m.
The U.S. Coast Guard says rescuers have been stymied in their search for the remaining four crew members of a cargo ship overturned near a Georgia port by a fire onboard the vessel.
Coast Guard Capt. John Reed said Sunday afternoon that rescue teams safely evacuated 20 people from the ship in St. Simons Sound, but then determined the situation was too risky to go further inside the vessel.
Reed says rescue teams, which involve federal, state and local agencies, are trying to stabilize the Golden Ray cargo ship to continue their search for the missing crew members. He says they have been unable to determine if the fire has been extinguished.
The cause is under investigation. The ship is lying on its side in St. Simons Sound near the Port of Brunswick.
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10:35 a.m.
The U.S. Coast Guard says rescuers are looking for four crew members who are unaccounted for after a vessel overturned near a Georgia port.
The Golden Ray cargo ship ran into trouble early Sunday when it listed heavily in St. Simon Sound.
The Coast Guard says there were 23 crew members and one pilot on board. All but four crew members have been safely evacuated from the ship, a 656-foot vehicle carrier. The Coast Guard says it was notified by a 911 call at about 2 a.m. of a capsized vessel in the sound. The cause is under investigation.
The Port of Brunswick has established an emergency safety zone in St. Simons Sound. Vessels are not authorized within a half mile of the Golden Ray, which is lying on its side and on fire.
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A cargo ship carrying vehicles was being evacuated after sharply listing near a port on the Georgia coast.
The U.S. Coast Guard says the Golden Ray cargo ship was leaving Brunswick when it drastically leaned to its side early Sunday. An unknown number of crew members were being evacuated. Local agencies were helping with the rescue.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Dickinson says it is not known if weather conditions caused the ship to lurch. Hurricane Dorian brushed past the Georgia coast last week before being downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone.
Dickinson said it was not immediately known whether there were any injuries on board.
The name of the ship’s owner was not immediately available.
The Port of Brunswick is currently closed to vessel traffic.
