An Australian ship carrying over forty crew members and nearly six thousand live animals has gone missing after the vessel was hit by a powerful typhoon.
The incident happened in East China Sea where a live export vessel known as Gulf Livestock 1 drifted to the unknown after getting slammed by Typhoon Maysak. The ship reportedly set off from New Zealand on August 14, whereas it was expected to arrive in Tangshan, China, on Friday.
Following the ship’s disappearance just off the Japanese coast, the authorities have launched a search and rescue mission.
According to the reports, there are 43 crew members, including 39 Filipinos, 2 Australians, and 2 New Zealanders, aboard the missing vessel that sent a distress signal prior to its full encounter with the typhoon.
As the ABC reported, the coast guard has so far found a lifeboat as well as one of the crew members drifting in the sea on the night of Wednesday. The crew member has reportedly survived the ordeal without life-threatening injuries.
Speaking of the crew members who remain to be found, New Zealand’s Minister of Agriculture, Damien Peter O’Connor, said:
“I very much hope all the crew on board are safe. My thoughts are with their families; this will be a very difficult time for them as the search continues.
“Officials from MPI are working closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the exporter. I am awaiting an update on the situation.”
As of this writing, the Gulf Livestock 1 has yet to be found. Our thoughts are with the victims of the vicious typhoon and their families.
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