20 missing after ships collide in E. China Sea

Two ships collided Sunday off the eastern Chinese coast, leaving 20 crew members missing, state media reported. A Chinese vessel collided with a Cambodian cargo ship, causing the Cambodian vessel to sink immediately, the official Xinhua News Agency said in a brief report, citing marine police in Zhejiang province's city of Taizhou. The report said the ships collided at about 4 a.m., but gave no other details. A man who answered the phone at the national-level maritime emergency rescue center in Beijing said he was not authorized to talk to the media and referred calls to the Ministry of Communication's information office, which was closed Sunday.