According to the maritime emergency authority's announcement on Tuesday, following the collision of two freighters in the North Sea off the coast of Germany, one body has been recovered, two individuals have been successfully rescued, and four crew members remain unaccounted for.

The vessel named Verity, as per the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies, had sunk during its journey from Bremen to the English town of Immingham, carrying seven crew members. Meanwhile, the ship Polesie was en route from Hamburg to La Coruna in Spain.

During a later press conference, a spokesperson noted that the four missing crew members could potentially be alive, taking refuge within the sunken vessel on the sea floor. Divers are currently conducting search and rescue operations to detect signs of life.

The Verity was transporting steel and had 1,300 cubic meters of diesel on board, the spokesperson confirmed. The collision occurred around 0300 GMT, approximately 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) southwest of Germany's Heligoland archipelago.

The Polesie had a crew of 22 people, all of whom escaped unharmed, as reported by the central command. One of the rescued individuals has been transported to a hospital on land, while the other is en route to a hospital on board the German maritime rescue cruiser Hermann Marwede.

It's worth noting that authorities indicated the presence of strong winds in the area, along with waves reaching heights of up to three meters."