BANGKOK, Thailand – Rescue operations are under way for 14 crew members whose Bangladeshi cargo ship capsized early Thursday (July 4th) in the Andaman Sea, media reported.

The MV Hope was bound for Bangladesh's port of Chittagong when it ran into rough seas about 32km off an island near Phuket in southern Thailand, AFP reported.

Six of the crew were rescued, but there has been no sign of 14 others, last seen adrift in a lifeboat.

Principal Officer Shafiqul Islam, of the MV Hope's registering authority, the Mercantile Marine Department, told bdnews24.com that the cargo vessel encountered massive waves and stiff crosswinds. Heavy rain and poor visibility were complicating rescue efforts by the Royal Thai Navy.