A massive cargo ship flipped over near a Georgia port, leaving 4 crew members missing

U.S. Coast Guard via AP

A coalition of eight units Coast Guard units including two helicopter crews rescued 20 of the 24 people on board Golden Ray, the law enforcement agency said.

• A cargo ship capsized off the coast of Georgia early Sunday morning, the Coast Guard said.
• Four crew members are missing and believed to still be aboard the ship, but the ship's condition is now "too risky" for the rescue efforts to continue, Coast Guard Charleston Sector commander Capt. John Reed said according to Fox News.
• It is unclear what caused the accident, the Coast Guard said.
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A cargo ship is on its side in St. Simons Sound near Brunswick, Georgia, the U.S. Coast Guard said Sunday. The ship, "Golden Ray," can be seen smoking in photos shared by the law enforcement agency.

A coalition of eight Coast Guard units including two helicopter crews rescued 20 of the 24 people on board. Four crew members are still missing, and are believed to still be aboard the disabled ship.

However, the ship is now "too risky" for the rescue efforts to continue Coast Guard Charleston Sector commander Capt. John Reed said at a press conference Sunday afternoon, according to Fox News. "Once they have stabilized the vessel, [they] will try to go in to get the four who remain on board," Reed said.

The Coast Guard said it first learned of the Golden Ray's troubles when it was contacted by the 911 Distach in Glenn County, Georgia at around 2 a.m. The rescue operation was still underway at 11:07 a.m., the Coast Guard tweeted.

Golden Ray carries vehicles for a company based in South Korea, Fox News reported.

The ship flies the flag of the Marshall Islands and had previously passed waypoints in Jacksonville, Flordia and Capetown before capsizing off the coast of Georgia, according to VesselTracker.com.

It is unclear what caused the accident, the Coast Guard said.