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Ships collide off Israeli coast Two die in Israel ship collision
(about 12 hours later)
Two ships have collided off the coast of Israel, sinking one of the vessels, Israeli officials have said. Israeli divers have found the bodies of two sailors missing in the Mediterranean after an Israeli cargo ship was hit by a Cypriot cruise liner.
A small Israeli ship - a cargo vessel owned by the Caspi company - sank when a passenger ship crashed into it. The Slovakian men were found inside the sunken ship, Shelly, 2.5km (1.9 miles) from the Israeli port of Haifa.
Two crew members from the smaller ship were said to be missing at sea. No one was hurt on the Cypriot passenger ship, an Israeli coast guard official said. The discovery followed an intensive search that included six Israeli navy boats and several military aircraft.
At least 11 other sailors - all from Slovakia - were rescued, according to reports on Israeli radio. Eleven other members of the Shelly's crew were rescued by the navy shortly after the collision on Thursday.
None of the 700 passengers and crew of the Cypriot vessel, Salamis Glory, was injured. They will be flown to Cyprus on Friday.
'Cut in two'
The collision is believed to have occurred around 2200 (1900 GMT) on Thursday, shortly after the Salamis Glory left Haifa's port.
All the rescued crew from the smaller boat were SlovakAll the rescued crew from the smaller boat were Slovak
A search was being conducted for the two missing sailors, said Haifa coast guard spokesman Moshe Weizman, but the remaining crew and passengers from both ships were brought to shore in Haifa. The cruise ship is said to have struck the Shelly as it lay anchored near the coast.
The smaller ship was cut in two in the collision, Israeli media reported. Although Israeli police have said they will be investigating the cause of the accident, unconfirmed reports say it may have been the result of a malfunction in the steering equipment on the Cypriot vessel.
Military helicopters have been drafted in to help search for the missing sailors. The Salamis Glory returned to Haifa on Friday morning with light damage visible on its hull.
The collision was believed to have been an accident, possibly caused by a malfunction in the navigation equipment on the smaller vessel.