CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A crippled Italian tanker carrying 6,000 tons of highly toxic chemical has sunk off the coast of France. The tanker was being towed to a French port when it sank in stormy seas. CNN's Peter Humi joins us now from Paris by telephone with the latest on that situation -- Peter.</s>PETER HUMI, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: Carol, the Italian cargo ship, the Ievoli Sun, sank a few hours ago now as French salvage ships were trying to tow it to shore. Its cargo included about 4,000 tons of styrene, a highly toxic chemical used in the manufacture of plastics, rubber and resins. Styrene is described as a possible carcinogen, and chronic exposure to the chemical can affect the central nervous system. It's unclear, though, how much, if any, of the cargo of chemicals has leaked into the sea. The freighter started to list yesterday in storms in the English Channel. Its 14-man crew was winched to safety as salvage efforts began. French maritime authorities say the Ievoli Sun sank into deep waters about 20 kilometers -- that's 12 miles -- north of the British island of Albany in the English Channel. Now, according to Greenpeace in France, the waters in which the ship sank have been in the past to dump all manner of toxic agents, including radioactive waste. Ten months ago, a Maltese tanker, the Erika, sank off the coast of Normandy, not far away, spilling thousands of tons of crude oil. Greenpeace says the same Italian company that had given a clean bill health to The Erica had passed the Ievoli Sun as seaworthy. This is Peter Humi, CNN, reporting live from Paris.</s>LIN: All right, thank you very much, Peter.
Tanker Carrying a Toxic Chemical Sinks off French Coast