12 rescued as cargo ship collides with gas tanker off Belgian coast

Twelve people have been rescued from a Dutch cargo ship after it collided with a gas tanker and sank off the Belgian coast, local media reported from the scene on Tuesday.

The collision happened early Tuesday morning, about eight kilometers off the coast of Zeebrugge, Belgian public broadcaster RTBF reported.

West Flanders provincial governor Carl Decaluwe told reporters that the 130-meter cargo ship, named Flinterstar, was carrying 9, 000 tonnes of goods.

The 120,000-tonne gas tanker involved in the collision, sailing under a Marshall Islands flag, had only minor damage.

Coastguards say there was no dangerous merchandise on board, however an as-yet undetermined amount of fuel has spilled into the sea and a clean-up operation has begun.

According to RTBF, the Dutch coastguards had completed their rescue exercise and some of the crew on-board were taken to hospital. Enditem