KEY POINTS:
STOCKHOLM - Rescuers battled stormy seas and driving snow in a hunt for a crew member of a Swedish cargo ship that sank in the Baltic Sea yesterday, an emergency service official said.
Helicopters plucked 13 of the 14 Swedish and Filipino crew members from high waves after the 155m Finnbirch, carrying containers of mixed cargo, sank between the islands of Oland and Gotland, a Swedish Sea Rescue Society spokesman said.
"We received a message that the helicopters had spotted the 13th crew member. He was in a worse state than the others," Peter Lindquist said.
He added that the search was continuing for the remaining crewmember.
The rescued crew were flown to hospital in the coastal city of Kalmar, all suffering the effects of icy water.
The vessel was on its way from Helsinki in Finland to Arhus in Denmark when it capsized and sank four hours after sending an emergency call.
- REUTERS
