Six people have gone missing after the cargo vessel on which they were working as crewmembers sank off the southern coast of Taiwan as a typhoon entered the country in the early morning (local time) of Thursday, July 25.
The incident began at around 05:45 when the Tanzanian-flagged general cargo vessel Fu Shun started listing heavily while it was approximately 19 nautical miles off Kaohsiung. The ship sank less than an hour later as the area was experiencing high winds and rough seas brought about by Typhoon Gaemi.
The crew sent out a distress call at 06:30 just before the ship sank. Initial reports stated that they had donned lifejackets and were thrown overboard as the ship gradually slipped beneath the waves.
The Taiwan Coast Guard Administration then mobilised assets for a search and rescue (SAR) effort. However, the operation was not launched until later in the day on Thursday after weather conditions improved.
Local media reported that three survivors have been pulled out of the water along the coast of Kaohsiung. All three have been identified as Myanmar nationals and crewmembers on Fu Shun.
Fu Shun is the second commercial vessel to be lost as a result of Typhoon Gaemi, a category-three tropical cyclone with a maximum sustained wind speed of 124 knots.
Earlier this week, the typhoon swept across the northern Philippines, resulting in the capsizing and sinking of the product tanker Terra Nova off Bataan province and the death of one of its crew. The ship later leaked oil into the surrounding waters, prompting Philippine authorities to implement spill response measures.
