Australians caught on live export ship missing after typhoon in Japan
Опубликованно 07.09.2020 23:05
One crew member has been rescued by the Japanese Coast Guard today, however the welfare of the rest of those on-board remains unknown, according to a report from RNZ.
The rescued man, identified as Sareno Edvardo, 45, of the Philippines, was hospitalised on the Japanese island of Amami Oshima, The New York Times reports.
A photo of his rescue released by the Coast Guard shows Mr Edvardo bobbing in dark waters amid choppy seas.
Japan's coastguard rescued one person while searching for a cargo ship carrying nearly 6,000 cattle and dozens of crew members that went missing in the East China Sea https://t.co/An8nLUfi4a pic.twitter.com/KZekO8cFJi— Reuters (@Reuters) September 3, 2020
He told rescuers the ship had suffered engine failure during the typhoon, before it capsized after being hit by a freak wave.
“When it was capsizing, an on-board announcement instructed us to wear a life jacket,” Mr. Edvardo said, according to the Coast Guard. “So I wore a life jacket and jumped into the sea.”
Yuichiro Higashi, a spokesman for the Coast Guard, said on Thursday that patrol ships were continuing to search for other crew members.
Photo shows a crew member being saved from a missing live export ship after a typhoon hit waters south west of Japan. Picture: Reuters
On board the missing vessel are two Australians and two New Zealanders, as well as a crew including 39 people from the Philippines and one person from Singapore according to The New Zealand Herald. Also on board are about 5800 head of cattle.
Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council (ALEC) says it understands one of the Australian’s is a vet and the other is a stock handler.
The search efforts are being affected by Typhoon Maysak. The cargo ship went missing after sending a distress signal during the typhoon, while in the East China Sea.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) told news.com.au they were in contact with the families of the crew members on board.
“The Australian Government is providing consular assistance to the families of two Australian crew members on board a cargo vessel reported missing in Japanese waters,” DFAT said in a statement. “Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”
RELATED: ‘Stay indoors’: Warning for 100km/h winds
The Gulf Livestock 1 is missing in waters south west of Japan. Picture: Vesselfinder.com
An infrared satellite of Maysak. Picture: NASA MODIS
Livestock carrier goes missing in the East China SeaThe GULF LIVESTOCK 1 has disappeared, probably hit by high waves & strong winds caused by typhoon #MAYSAK, our data shows. The search for the livestock carrier in load began as concern for the safety of 43 crew onboard rises pic.twitter.com/6H3yGOkUqr— MarineTraffic (@MarineTraffic) September 2, 2020
RELATED: Dolphins dead after MV Wakashio scuttled
The ship was en route to China after departing from Napier in New Zealand on August 14. It was expected to arrive in China on September 3.
The live export ship was in waters west of Amami Oshima Island in south west Japan, according to a report from Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.
About 7pm Japanese time NHK reported a sea patrol plane had spotted a life jacket in the waters, as well as an object that looked like a lifeboat.
Категория: Новости
