Fourteen more bodies were found yesterday from the sunken Ukrainian tugboat Neftegaz 67 lifted to sea surface on Sunday, leaving one sailor still missing.

Four were discovered in the morning and the rest were found in the afternoon and evening.

Police were on board of the Ukrainian tugboat to identify the bodies.

Those identified were delivered to the Marine Police Headquarters in Tai Lam and to a mortuary.

Staff of the heavy-lift crane barge "Hua Tian Long" of the Guangzhou Salvage Bureau, which helped lift the sunken tugboat, tried to repair breakages of the tugboat.

The Guangzhou Salvage Bureau said yesterday if the vessel can float to the surface, they can enter the cabin to search for the remaining missing sailors.

The Bureau added if the wreck cannot float, they will have to lift the tugboat and transfer it elsewhere by other boats.

The Fire Services Department and Marine Department sent boats to assist with the search for the bodies.

Dispersant sprayed on to sea by the Pollution Control Unit of the Marine Department has contained oil discharge from the tugboat to about two meters by two meters.

On Sunday evening, "Hua Tian Long" successfully lifted much of the Ukrainian tugboat to water surface.

Tugboat Neftegaz 67 lay overturned on the seabed for more than a month after it sank off Lantau Island.

The salvage operation was suspended on March 29 after the Fire Services Department found the operation too dangerous for its divers.

The 168-meter-long Hua Tian Long arrived in Hong Kong on April 16 to restart the salvage operation.

The 80-meter-long Ukrainian tugboat sank off after colliding with a Chinese cargo ship Yao Hai on March 22.

Only seven out of 25 sailors on board were saved.

Three bodies were found later inside the tugboat before the salvage work was suspended.

(HK Edition 04/29/2008 page1)