Norway rescuers find fourth body

A robot submarine was used to search the wreck

Rescuers working on the wreck on a ship which capsized in Norway, killing up to 18 people, have found a fourth body.

Only 12 of the crew survived when the Rocknes cargo ship overturned on Monday, 14 are still missing.

Investigators said the ship may have struck underwater rocks in the fjord near Bergen which were not marked on many sea charts.

The fourth body was found by a robot mini-submarine on Thursday. Others are thought to be in the submerged wreck.

Air has been pumped into the ship in an effort to make it stable enough to tow from its location.

Terje Langvik, deputy director of the Norwegian Hydrographic Service, said rocks in the narrow channel near Bergen could be to blame for the accident.

He said the rocks, nine metres (30 ft) deep, were only added to charts in 2003.

"The rocks are marked on the new chart, very close to a lighthouse," he said.

Police said they were also examining other marks found on the seabed to try to explain the accident.

"We don't know if they are from the Rocknes or another vessel," local police chief Harald Andersen told Reuters.

MV ROCKNES Built: 2001 Crew: 24 Filipinos, 3 Dutchmen, 2 Norwegians, 1 German Length: 166 metres Role: Bulk carrier, carrying rocks for use in construction of underwater pipelines and cables off Germany

Police have questioned the Norwegian pilot who boarded the ship to help it navigate through the fjord but would not comment on what he may have said.

Special containment booms have been placed around the ship to control oil and fuel leaking further into the fjord.

But local environmental groups say hundreds of sea birds have already been killed or contaminated by the thick oil.