German authorities halt a search for 4 sailors missing after 2 ships collided in the North Sea

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities have broken off their search for four crew members missing since their British-flagged cargo ship sank a day earlier following a collision with a larger vessel in the North Sea. The Verity, which had seven people on board and was en route from Bremen, Germany, to the English port of Immingham, sank shortly after the collision early Tuesday. Two sailors were rescued and the body of another was recovered. German officials said the area where the missing sailors might be was searched without results before the attempts were halted Wednesday. The survival time in waters that cold is about 20 hours.