HONG KONG - Ten crew members hospitalised with suspected Sars after their Malaysian cargo ship anchored in Hong Kong waters yesterday morning have been found to be free of the deadly virus, a government spokesman said late yesterday night.

The 10 underwent "stringent" medical checks at Princess Margaret Hospital before being cleared and discharged from the hospital, the spokesman said.

They will be returned to their ship, which is moored off the territory's Lamma Island where it was quarantined after the ship's master reported 10 of the 24 crew members of Indian origin had fallen ill with Sars-like symptoms.

Six police boats formed a protective ring around the ship to prevent other vessels from approaching it.

Ship o­n the way to China

About 20 health care workers and firemen, wearing full protective medical gear, boarded Sunday morning the ship to conduct medical checks o­n the 24 crew members.

They emerged after two hours with the 10 crew who were transferred by rescue boat to Princess Margaret Hospital.

The ship, Bunga Belawis Satu, had departed from Bangkok, Thailand o­n April 28 and was heading for the southern Chinese port of Huangpu in Guangzhou when it was forced to drop anchor in Hong Kong.

The vessel, carrying a cargo of industrial chemicals, had also visited several other ports in the region including Singapore and Malaysia, Director of Health Margaret Chan told a press briefing.

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) disease, which originated in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong in November, has killed more than 449 people worldwide and infected more than 6,400 others, mostly in Asia.

On Sunday, Hong Kong health officials announced another five people had died after contracting the illness, while eight new cases have been recorded, bringing to toll in the territory to 184 dead and 1,629 cases. AFP