Nine missing after caisson aboard topples in east China

JINAN -- Nine people remain missing after a caisson used to balance the weight of a ship toppled and sank into the sea Wednesday in the city of Rizhao, east China's Shandong Province, local authorities said Thursday.

At around 1:50 pm Wednesday, the caisson overturned while the ship was undocking at a local steel company's raw material terminal. Eleven workers aboard fell into the water and two were rescued.

The local authorities sent ships and divers to help with the search and rescue operation, which is still underway.