Rescuers find body of crew member, dead cattle at sea after cargo ship sank - The Washington Post

sea.indah.link

A lone Filipino crew member was rescued alive from the East China Sea on Wednesday and told rescuers that the ship had sunk in rough seas after an engine failed.

Japan’s Coast Guard said a second man was spotted “drifting facedown” in the water 75 miles northwest of the island of Amami-Oshima at 6:30 a.m. local time Friday, and was picked up at 7:16 a.m.

The 11,947-ton Gulf Livestock 1 sent a distress call about 1:45 a.m. Wednesday, 115 miles west of Amami Oshima in the East China Sea, as Typhoon Maysak unleashed powerful winds and torrential rain, causing turbulent seas in the area, Japanese officials said.

Rescuers have also spotted the dead bodies of dozens of cattle floating in the ocean near the areas where the two men were found, along with a bundle of orange rope and part of another lifejacket carrying the ship’s name. Aircraft, boats and divers continue to scour the ocean.

On Wednesday night, a naval P-3C surveillance aircraft spotted a Filipino crew member wearing a life vest bobbing up and down in the water, and he was rescued from the sea by a coast guard patrol boat.

The rescued man was named as 45-year-old Eduardo Sareno, the ship’s chief officer. He told the coast guard that one of the ship’s engines stopped running, after which the vessel was hit by waves, capsized and sank.

There was an announcement on board to wear life jackets as the ship was capsizing, at which point he put on a life jacket and jumped in the sea, the coast guard quoted Sareno as saying. He said he had not seen other crew members by the time he was rescued.

The rescue effort was initially hampered by rough seas, strong winds and torrential rain. By the time the dead man was spotted on Friday, the weather was cloudy with winds of around 20 mph, the coast guard said.

The Panama-registered ship was carrying around 5,800 cattle from New Zealand to China when it ran into Typhoon Maysak.

The rest of the crew — mainly Filipinos, with two Australians and two New Zealanders — remain missing.

Dubai-based Gulf Navigation Holding, the owner and operator of the stricken ship, issued a statement expressing sympathy for those affected by the disaster.

“Our hearts go out to those onboard and their families at this time. We also express deep regret for the sad loss of the livestock on board. We are monitoring the situation closely and working closely with those involved in rescue efforts. We pray that there are other survivors,” it said.

The Link Lonk


September 04, 2020 at 11:37AM
https://ift.tt/355ufyA

Rescuers find body of crew member, dead cattle at sea after cargo ship sank - The Washington Post

https://ift.tt/2CoSmg4
Sea