BEIRUT - Lebanese and UN rescue teams have found six more bodies from cargo ship that sunk in rough seas off the coast of Lebanon last week, security sources said Monday.

The bodies were recovered along the northern shore of Lebanon between Tripoli and Akkar, bringing to 18 the number of bodies retrieved since late Thursday.

Forty of the estimated 83 crew members of the MV Danny F II were rescued, while more than 20 were still missing.

The Lebanese navy, along the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Maritime Task Force have been engaged in the rescue operations since Thursday.

Most of the crew were believed to be Pakistanis but there were also nationals from Australia, Russia, Lebanon, Syria, the Philippines, Britain and Uruguay.

Port officials in Tripoli said the vessel's manifesto showed it was carrying 10,000 sheep and 18,000 cattle. This explained the large number of crew, many of whom were looking after the animals, port sources said.