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TOKYO: Japan’s coast guard said on Friday (September 4) that they found a man floating face down and unconscious in the sea while searching for survivors of a ship that sank during a typhoon with 43 crew members on board.
So far, one survivor has been rescued from the ship, and early Friday morning, a coast guard ship “discovered a man upside down drifting in the sea,” a statement said.
It was unclear if the man, described as “unconscious”, was still alive, as only a certified medical professional can declare someone dead in Japan.
“The rescued man … is currently being transported to Amami Oshima Island,” some 120 kilometers away, the coast guard statement added.
The man was discovered as the coast guard continues to search for survivors of the Gulf Livestock 1, a freighter carrying nearly 6,000 cows, which sank off the west coast of Japan when Typhoon Maysak passed through the area.
The ship sent a distress signal early Wednesday and the coast guard was able to rescue a survivor that night: a Filipino chief officer named Sareno Edvarodo who was found floating in the open sea with a life jacket.
The crew of 43 consisted of 39 from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and two from Australia, the coast guard said.
Map showing the area where a cargo ship carrying 43 crew members and some 6,000 cows sank into the sea after transmitting a distress signal on Wednesday. (AFP)
APPROACHES TO THE SECOND TYPHON
The coast guard quoted Edvarodo as saying the boat lost an engine before a wave hit it and capsized.
He told rescuers he had donned a life jacket and jumped into the sea after a warning announcement on board Wednesday.
There were no details on when and where the ship sank, but Edvarodo said he had not seen other crew members while waiting to be rescued.
A rubber boat was seen late Wednesday in the area being searched for survivors, but the coast guard said they had not confirmed whether it was linked to the boat.
The coast guard said Friday they had seen dead cattle and recovered a life jacket. Four coast guard ships, a Ministry of Defense aircraft and specially trained divers are involved in the search and rescue operation.
Japan is currently in its annual typhoon season, and a second massive storm is on its way to hit the same area around Sunday, according to local forecasters, which could limit how long the coast guard can continue to search.
The ship was traveling from Napier in New Zealand to the Chinese port of Tangshan.
It had experienced engine problems before: A 2019 observation report from Australian authorities noted that the ship was unable to maneuver for 25 hours after a problem with its main engine while on its way to China.
The New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) said on Thursday that it would temporarily suspend exports of live cattle after the incident.
“MPI wants to understand what happened while sailing the Gulf Livestock 1,” he said.
