Thirty-eight Filipino seafarers are reported missing in chilly waters off southwestern Japan one day after their cargo ship capsized Wednesday, September 2, as Typhoon “Maysak” hit the Korean peninsula.
The Panamanian-flagged Gulf Livestock 1 had a total of 43 crew members, consisting of 39 Filipinos, two Australians, and two New Zealand nationals, and was transporting 6,000 cattle from New Zealand to China when it sent a distress signal from waters off Amami Oshima Island in southwestern Japan after being caught up in Typhoon Maysak.
38 Filipino Seafarers Lost at Sea After Ship Capsizes in Japan Waters
According to the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, one Filipino has been rescued by the Japanese Coast Guard, leaving 38 more lost at sea, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
In an update shared by the Philippine Consulate General in Osaka, Japan’s Coast Guard has announced that it will launch a second search and rescue mission amid the incoming typhoon to search for the other missing crew members.
According to the South Korea Yonhap News Agency, flights were either canceled or delayed and downed trees and other debris caused light damage after Maysak, the ninth typhoon of the season, hit the peninsula with its 170-kilometer-per-hour winds.
South Korean officials reported that Maysak was the fourth to hit the peninsula this year and left about 120,000 households without power across the nation.
It added that one person died when winds shattered a window in Busan, which bore the brunt of the storm.
The peninsula typically sees only one typhoon a year, but another typhoon, “Haishen,” is reportedly brewing south of Japan and is expected to hit the Korean coast on Sunday or Monday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Earth Observatory reported.
This story is in development. More updates will be provided as soon as reports are available regarding the rescue mission carried out by the Japanese Coast Guard.
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