Slovakian freighter capsizes in Baltic Sea

COPENHAGEN, Oct 28 (Reuters) Danish and German rescuers today struggled to liberate seven sailors believed to be caught inside the hull of a capsized freighter off the coast of southern Denmark, the Danish navy said.

Three of the ship's 11 all-Turkish crew were rescued by a Russian ship shortly after the incident, while a navy helicopter had found a fourth crew member drowned.

The ''Omer N'', a Slovakian freighter, capsized shortly after 1400 GMT about 28 km west of the town of Gedser on the southern tip of the island of Falster for unknown reasons.

The ship has since run aground, enabling rescue divers to reach it, the duty officer from Danish naval command Danfleet told Reuters.

He said that although the divers had managed to breach the hull and enter the ship the conditions were deemed too rough to effectively search for the missing crew inside.

The rescue attempts would continue through the night, he said.

REUTERS SZ PM0315