North Sea collision: One dead as cargo ship reportedly sinks

Helgoland Island: Two cargo ships collided in the North Sea off Germany, with one person dead and four still missing from the crew of the smaller ship, now believed to have sunk.

According to Germany's Central Command for Maritime Emergencies, the incident occurred Tuesday morning approximately 22 kilometres southwest of Helgoland Island and 31 kilometres northeast of Langeoog Island.

The Central Command said that the two freighters involved in the collision were the Polesie and the Verity.

One dead body was recovered from the collision, whereas two people were rescued, the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS).

The search for four other crew members of Verity remains ongoing.

Central Command Spokesman Benedikt Spangardt told Taggeschau that they were no longer receiving a signal from the Verity ship, which led them to assume it had sunk.

The British-flagged Verity was en route from Bremen in Germany to Immingham in England.

Several vessels — including a cruise ship in the area — and a German navy helicopter are helping in the search and rescue operations.

Meanwhile, the Polesie, registered in the Bahamas, is still afloat with 22 crew members on board. It was traveling from Hamburg to La Coruna in Spain.

Germany's Transport Minister Volker Wissing expressed his sympathy to crew members, family members and rescue teams.

He said several state apparatuses have come together to rescue the missing, including the DGzRS, the Water Police (WSP), alongside emergency tugs, other helpers and task forces.