HONG KONG: More than two number of crew members are usually unaccounted for right after their ship shattered into two during a typhoon in the Southern China Sea on Saturday (Jul 2), with rescuers rushing to find them, authorities say.
An engineering vessel that was 160 nautical miles southwest of Hong Kong “suffered substantial damage and broke into two pieces” and the 30-member team abandoned ship, according to the Hong Kong Government Soaring Service.
3 people had been rescued as of 3pm local time (0700 GMT) and were delivered to hospital for therapy, authorities said.
Dramatic footage offered by Hong Kong authorities showed a person being airlifted onto a helicopter while waves damaged over the deck from the semi-submerged ship below.
The three survivors said other crew members may have been hidden away by surf before the first helicopter arrived, according to the government statement.
Typhoon Chaba previously formed in the central part of the South Cina Sea and on Saturday afternoon made landfall in Guangdong state in southern China and taiwan.
Rescuers within Hong Kong were informed of the incident at 7. 25am local time (2325 GMT on Friday) plus found the ship near Chaba’s centre, where harsh weather conditions and nearby blowing wind farms made the particular operation “more tough and dangerous”.
The ship’s location recorded wind speeds of 144kph plus waves that were 10m high, authorities mentioned.
The Government Traveling Service dispatched two sorties of fixed-wing aircraft and 4 helicopter sorties, along with mainland Chinese regulators also dispatching a rescue boat.
Rescuers said they would increase the search region “due to the large number of people missing” plus extend the operation into the night in the event that conditions allowed.
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