side off the coast of georgia. fire is hampering efforts. four people on the 24-member crew ship are still unaccounted for. the u.s. coast guard says this 71,000 ton vessel capsized after leaving the port of brunswick early this morning. the golden ray is carrying cars. we re still conducting rescue operations. we have assets on scene that continue to do what they can. it is a complex situation, so we re looking not just for the safety to be able to rescue the people on board but to be able to provide safety for crews. so it s ongoing and we re looking to throw as much of it as we can. and we have everybody looking to try and solve this complex problem. crews are working to stabilize the vessel with salvagers and the coast guard will resume operations once it is safe to do so.
four people are missing after a cargo ship capsizes off the coast of georgia. the u.s. coast guard forced to suspend rescue efforts because of fire on board the vessel. the coast guard says the 71,000 ton vessel capsized after leaving the port of brunswick early this morning. the golden ray is believed to be carrying cars. so we re still conducting rescue operations. we have assets on scene. they continue to do what they can. it is a complex situation, so, you know, we re looking not just for the safety to be able to rescue the people on board but to also be able to provide safety for our crews. it s ongoing and we re looking to throw as much of it as we can and we have everybody looking to try and solve this complex problem. all right. crews are working to stabilize the vessel with salvagers and the coast guard says it will resume operations once it is safe to do so. joining me on the phone right
to reach those four still missing were suspended after a fire broke out on board this cripple ed vessel. the commander jon reed spoke with cnn a short time ago. we had to suspend our search for the four persons on board as a fire started on board. and the vessel continued to be unstable. our first priority is the safety of the e responders as well as the public. and so doing that, once we are able to ensure their safety, through securing the vessel and ensuring it s stable by assessment, we will then work through the possibilities of trying to get back on board and location the individuals. the 71,000 ton ship began listing heavily after leaving the port of brunswick, georgia, overnight. britney jones of wjx the t is with us now.
for the safety to be able to rescue the people on board but also to be able to provide safety for our crews. christina coleman is joining us with the latest. tough situation here. it sure is, rob. a large burning cargo ship on its side. that s what the coast guard was up against as they worked to save 20 crewmembers from the vessel early this morning. at this point, four crewmembers are still unaccounted for. the intense smoke and fire made it just too dangerous for rescue crews to stay on board to try and find the four missing crewmembers this morning. once it is safe to go back on the vessel, the search will continue for the missing people on the ship. the 656 foot vehicle carrier is completely on its side. the coast guard was notified that it capsized around 2:00 a.m. the ship was leaving the port of brunswick, which is a major deepwater port in georgia, about 65 miles south of savannah. the ntsb is investigating. they will be working hard to try and figure out what caused the
crew members were safely rescued from the burning chip but the coast guard says they cannot get to the other four people because of smoke and fire. it was too risky to be on board this cap sized vessel. the coast guard now waiting for salvage professionals to determine when it safe to go back on the large cargo ship again to continue rescue efforts. the 656 foot vehicle carrier completely on its side around 2:00 a.m. coast guard watch were noticed that the large cargo ship overturned and caught on fire. it was leaving the port of brunswick which is a deepwater port in jones georgia, 65 miles south of savannah. ntsb is investigating trying to figure out what could have possibly caused the fire. the fire that was observed this morning was coming off the starboard side that look to be about the area of the cargo and it was black smoke. since then the flames have gone out and the black smoke has ceased but we are unable to determine specifically without going inside whether the fire has