A major rescue operation is under way after a ship carrying 83 passengers and crew and a cargo of livestock sank off the north Lebanese coast in a storm.

The Panamanian-flagged Danny F II capsized 11 nautical miles off Tripoli after sending a distress signal.

At least 25 survivors from the vessel - sailing from Uruguay to the Syrian port of Tartous - have been picked up, officials said.

High seas, strong winds and severe rain are hampering the rescue effort.

One of those saved was from the Philippines and another from Pakistan, a Lebanese rescue official said.
 
"They were very scared and cold when we pulled them out of the water," he told AFP news agency.

"If the sea remains calm we hope to find more survivors, but if the storm kicks up again then they have little chance of surviving for more than an hour in the water," he said.

All the livestock were presumed dead, he added.

A Lebanese military spokesman said the crew had time to don life jackets before the boat capsized.

The ship's operator, Agencia Schandy, told AFP in Montevideo that those on board the Danny F II included six passengers - four Uruguayans, one Brazilian and an Australian.

The ship had left Montevideo on 23 November with 10,224 sheep and 17,932 cattle, the company said.

International search

The ship's crew are mostly from the Philippines and Pakistan but there is at least one Lebanese and one Syrian on board, a port official in Tripoli said.

Reports from Tripoli said ambulances had been seen rushing out of the port area to nearby hospitals.

More News Read.    Click here