A Bulgarian Air Force helicopter has been dispatched to assist in the rescue of sailors after a ship sank off Cape Emine in the Black Sea, the Bulgarian news agency (BTA) reported on November 30 2010.

Five sailors are still missing, according to Sergei Tsuriakliiski, executive director of Naval Administration.

According to the rescue services, the weather conditions for the rescue operation are favourable, as the wind has dropped and visibility is very good. Naval units, merchant marine vessels, the Bulgarian Air Force and Naval Administrations units are involved in the operation.

The collision on November 29 occurred between a Dutch tanker and a ship under a Sierra Leone flag. The accident is believed to have been triggered by improper manoeuvring, according to Tsarnakliyski, At fault, according to the report, was the ship that sank. The two vessels collided at about 5.40pm local time

The Karim 1 cargo ship, sailing under the flag of Sierra Leone sank, with 10 crew on board, nine of them from Syria and one from Egypt.

Five men have been rescued, but five remain unaccounted for.