Chinese state media say a pool of oil from a sunken tanker is burning in the East China Sea.

Footage shown by state broadcaster CCTV at noon Monday showed huge clouds of thick acrid smoke rising from the oil slick. Just three bodies from the Iranian tanker's crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis were recovered.

The cause of the Jan. 6 collision between the Sanchi and the Chinese freighter CF Crystal, 257 kilometers (160 miles) east of Shanghai, remains unclear. All 21 members of the freighter's crew were reported safe.

The Sanchi was rocked by a large explosion around noon on Sunday and sank shortly afterward.

The ship was carrying light natural gas condensate and left a 10-square-kilometer (3.8-square-mile) area contaminated with oil.