New Delhi (NVI): A ship from New Zealand to China, having 43 crew and almost 6,000 cattle onboard, has capsized after losing one engine in stormy weather in the East China Sea.
The Japanese coast guard has rescued one crew member from the cargo ship, according to Japan Times.
The crew member, Sareno Edvarodo, a 45-year-old chief officer from the Philippines, was rescued on Wednesday night during the search for the cargo ship.
The Gulf Livestock 1 transmitted a distress signal early on Wednesday when it was about 185 kilometers (115 miles) west of Amami Oshima island as Typhoon Maysak headed through the region towards the Korean peninsula, bringing strong winds, heavy seas and drenching rains.
The search for the rest of the crew and ship continues but has so far failed to find any more survivors.
The crew of the freighter includes 39 seamen from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and two from Australia.
The Gulf Livestock 1 left New Zealand on August 14 headed for China, with the journey expected to take 17 days, according to New Zealand’s foreign ministry.
The Philippines government is coordinating with Japan’s coastguard as it searched for the missing crew members ahead of another typhoon expected to hit the area.
A second storm in the region, Typhoon Haishen, is expected to strengthen to the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane by the end of the week. It’s expected to threaten Kyushu on Sunday, and potentially affect the Korean Peninsula Monday.
Japan’s meteorological agency is warning that the storm could be the third biggest to hit the country since records began almost 70 years ago.
The Japanese coast guard will launch a second search-and-rescue mission prior to the expected incoming typhoon, according to media reports.
-CHK
