Canadian student ship sinks off Brazil, 64 rescued: official

The Concordia, a three-masted sailing ship for a "Class Afloat" programme, sank in the late afternoon yesterday some 550 km off the Brazilian coast after battling strong winds, Commander Romualdo told AFP in a telephone interview from Brasilia.

"The navy received a distress call from the ship and sent reconnaissance aircraft," said the spokesman.So far "64 students, teachers and crew members have been rescued" and are in good health, he said, adding that he was unable to confirm the total number of persons on board the ship.

The student programme is operated by Canada's West Island College International, which is based in Nova Scotia.