China shipwrecks death toll rises to 12

JINAN - The death toll from two shipwrecks off the coast of East China has risen to 12, after two more bodies were retrieved on Tuesday afternoon. Another 14 crew members remain missing.

Rescuers on boats and in helicopters are continuing their search, but heavy winds and big waves brought by a new cold front on Tuesday night could hamper their efforts, the Shandong Maritime Safety Administration said in a statement.

Strong gales were blamed for sinking two ships in separate accidents off the coast of Shandong Province on Sunday night and Monday morning.

Nine of the dead were aboard the Tianjin-registered cargo ship "ZIHAISHUN," which sank off Weihai City at 2:58 a.m. Monday. Five people on the ship remain unaccounted for, the administration said.

Another cargo ship, "XINGLONGZHOU65," registered in Zhejiang Province, sank offshore from Yantai City around 9 p.m. on Sunday. The bodies of three people aboard the ship have been retrieved, while nine others remain missing.

The 88-meter-long XINGLONGZHOU65, which was carrying a shipment of stone, lost contact with marine authorities after it lost power.