Iran has rescued 29 crew members of a UAE-flagged cargo ship that sank in the Persian Gulf amid high winds and rough seas, state media report.

Iran PressIran news: According to an emergency response official, an operation was continuing to find the missing sailor.

Two rescue vessels and helicopters were dispatched after the Al Salmy 6 went down about 48km (30 miles) from the port of Assaluyeh on Thursday.

Winds were more than 70km/h (45mph) at the time, the Iranian official said.

The operations manager of the Dubai-based company that owns the Al Salmy 6, Salem Al Makrani Cargo company, told the Associated Press that the 138m-long (453ft) car transporter had been sailing towards the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr.

The bad weather initially caused the ship to list at a precarious angle, Capt Nizar Qaddoura said, but within hours it was fully submerged.

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Iran's commercial ship sinks at Southern port