The Dutch authorities have given up the search for survivors after a collision between two freight ships in the North Sea. The accident happened early this morning about 22 kilometres (13 miles) southwest of the island of Helgoland, the German Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCME) said.
Several ships have been searching for survivors in the area.
The freight ship believed to have sunk was named as the Verity, sailing under a British flag and on its way from Bremen to the UK town of Immingham.
The other ship was the Polesie, under a Bahamas flag and travelling from Hamburg to La Coruna in Spain.
The Verity was the smaller vessel with a length of 91 metres (almost 300 feet), compared to the Polesie’s 190 metres.