Greek tanker sinks, captain found dead

A Greek oil tanker with more than 2,000 tons of oil on board sank near Athens Monday. 

Ten crewmembers were rescued, but the tanker's 48-year-old captain was later found dead, BBC reported.

The captain stayed on board the sinking ship, and divers later retreived his body, BBC said. 

The ship, a refuelling vessel named the Alpha 1, was carrying a mixture of fuel oil and diesel.

It may have hit something – potentially the remains of an old shipwreck – in the shallow bay of Eleusina, near Athens, officials told Reuters

The officials said no oil appeared to be leaking from the ship. The officials placed a plastic barrier around the tanker to contain oil spills, BBC said. 

The tanker belongs to the Greek company Viamar, Bloomberg reported.

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