Rescuers find 2 bodies on burning ship

BEIJING — Rescuers on Saturday recovered the bodies of two crew members from an Iranian oil tanker that has been on fire since colliding with a freighter earlier this month in the East China Sea.

The bodies were found Saturday morning on the lifeboat deck of the Sanchi, state broadcaster CCTV said. Rescuers stayed aboard less than 30 minutes but recovered the ship’s data and video recordings, it said.

The network said rescuers were prevented from entering the crew living quarters by temperatures as high as 192 degrees Fahrenheit.

Footage of the rescue showed parts of the Sanchi still aflame, its hull and superstructure stripped of paint. Authorities were concerned the ship could explode and sink, but there was no word Saturday on such a possibility.