Taiwan’s fire department reported that a Tanzania-flagged sea freighter, carrying nine Myanmar nationals, had sunk off the coast of the southern port city of Kaohsiung, in the midst of a strong typhoon.
Unfortunately, there has been no response from the crew.
The sinking of the vessel forced its nine Myanmar crew members to abandon ship, the head of Taiwan’s National Fire Agency said Thursday July 25.
Rescue officials in Taiwan are currently searching for the Tanzania colored, cargo ship which should be under water.
The vessel, which was flying a Tanzanian flag, is feared to have sunk off the Taiwanese southern coast.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) also reported that the Tanzania-flagged freighter had been off the southern port city of Kaohsiung when Taiwan was struck by Typhoon Gaemi.
Other reports say the storm has also brought relentless rain to the Philippines, where a tanker carrying close to 1.5 million liters of industrial fuel has capsized.
Sixteen crew members of the Philippine-flagged MT Terra Nova have been rescued while one remains missing, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said.
Typhoon Gaemi, which made landfall on Taiwan’s east coast on Wednesday, has killed three people and injured hundreds more on the island, officials said.
Before hitting Taiwan, Gaemi exacerbated rainy conditions in the Philippines, where eight people have died. It is expected to make a second landfall in mainland China after passing through Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Coastguard Administration said Fu Shun, the freighter that capsized off its coast, had nine Myanmar nationals on board.
They added that three other foreign vessels had run aground during the typhoon, but were safe.
In the Philippines, the tanker that had capsized in Manila Bay was heading for the central city of Iloilo when it sank. It left an oil spill stretching several kilometers, authorities said.
Officials added that strong winds and high waves were hampering their response.
The MT Terra Nova “capsized and eventually submerged,” the Philippines coast guard said in a report, adding they were investigating whether bad weather was a factor.