Twenty-eight Chinese sailors aboard a bulk cargo ship that ran aground on Monday near Shantou Harbor, in south China's Guangdong Province, have been rescued, according to the Ministry of Communications on Tuesday.

The ship was safely dragged back into open waters at 1:47 a.m. Tuesday.

At 7:37 p.m. Monday, the Nanhai Salvage Bureau under the Ministry of Communications received a report from Guangdong Haidian Shipping Co., saying that one of the company's bulk cargo ships had run aground when it was trying to enter Shantou Harbor, and needed help.

The ship, 224 meters long and 32.2 meters wide, was carrying 65,000 tons of coal from Indonesia to Shantou, a port in Guangdong Province. The ship has a crew of 28.

The Nanhai Salvage Bureau immediately dispatched a ship to the accident site. Rescuers said there were force seven to eight gales at sea.

Working together, rescuers and crew members on the ill-fated ship managed to drag the ship back to safety, according to sources with the Ministry of Communications.

Editor: Yan