Twenty-seven people are missing after a vessel was hit by a typhoon in the South China Sea, the Hong Kong government’s air support service said on Saturday.
The ship, which was “severely damaged and broke in two”, was 160 nautical miles (about 296 km) southwest of Chinese territory when it was hit by Typhoon Chaba. Relief teams were dispatched to the scene after notification of the incident, around 7:25 am (8:25 pm on Friday in BrasÃlia).
Three of the 30 crew were rescued and taken to hospital, officials said. Footage provided by the Hong Kong government shows a person being rescued as waves crash onto the semi-submerged ship’s deck. According to the three survivors, other crew members may have been swept away by the waves before the first rescue helicopter arrived.
Typhoon Chaba formed in the center of the South China Sea and made landfall on Saturday afternoon in the southern province of Guangdong. The place where the ship was registered winds of 144 kilometers per hour and waves up to 10 meters high, according to the authorities.
Rescue teams promised to expand the search area “due to the large number of people missing” and would extend the operation into the night if weather conditions permitted.
