Several missing after ships collide in North Sea - officials

Several people are missing after two cargo ships collided off Germany's North Sea coast, German authorities say.

The British-flagged Verity reportedly collided with the Bahamian Polesie at around 5:00 local time (3:00 GMT) on Tuesday morning.

The Verity is believed to have sunk.

The German coastguard said at least one person had been rescued and teams are searching for several more missing people.

The Verity was travelling from the northern German city of Bremen to Immingham in the UK when it collided with the Polesie, which had departed from Hamburg on a journey to La Coruña in Spain.

The incident happened off the coast of Heligoland, a German archipelago which is part of the state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Two sea rescue cruisers from the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS), a German navy helicopter and a water police boat are aiding in the search efforts, the DGzRS said. A cruise ship which is in the vicinity is also contributing.

Survivors are being given medical care.

The cause of the collision is still unclear.