Canadian military ships and helicopters were attempting late last night to rescue 31 crew members from a bulk carrier that sank in the North Atlantic after a steel plate gave way in its hull.
The crew of a Hercules aircraft circling over the site about 700 kilometres north of Bermuda reported seeing two lights in the water after the 236-metre Leader L went down.
"But they can't determine what this is," said Lieutenant Pat Jessup, a navy spokesperson in Halifax.
"They've also received a weak signal, which means there are survivors. But we can't tell you how many there are or what shape they're in."
The Hercules, from Greenwood, N.S., was in radio contact for almost an hour with crew members on the ship when the vessel began to sink rapidly.
The Panamanian-flagged ship, owned by Leoninus Shipping, was carrying salt to New York from Spain when it ran into trouble.
A Canadian naval task group -- a destroyer, three frigates and a supply ship -- was about 460 kilometres away when they got word of the sinking. It wasn't immediately clear what the Canadian ships were doing in the area.
The task group, which has three Sea King helicopters, was redirected to the scene of the sinking in the Sargasso Sea.