A routine offshore wind turbine installation ended in tragedy after the vessel carrying a crane and crew sunk 305km south of Hong Kong.

Dozens of crew members are thought to have died after the offshore wind turbine installation vessel broke up after being hit by a typhoon.

Emergency services managed to rescue four crew members after they abandoned ship. Six members of crew have been pronounced dead, while 16 remain missing.

The 204m-long vessel was being operated by contractor Shanghai Huajing Zhiyun, and was equipped with a 2,000t rotating crane.

The contractor was working on the installation of two offshore wind farms for Qingzhou Offshore Wind when the tragedy struck.

China's minister of emergency management Huang Ming said: "We should learn lessons and prevent typhoon related incidents by getting vessels to return to port and people to move ashore. We must prevent similar incidents from happening again, thoroughly investigate, and strictly pursue responsibility in accordance with laws and regulations."

The search and rescue mission continues.

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