Ship sinks off Taiwan; nine sailors missing as typhoon Gaemi heads towards China

Typhoon Gaemi wreaks havoc in Taiwan and Philippines, with casualties, evacuations, and environmental damage reported.

Typhoon Gaemi swept towards southern China on July 25 after killing at least two people in Taiwan, with nine sailors missing after their cargo ship sank in stormy weather.

The typhoon — the strongest to hit Taiwan in eight years — had already forced authorities on the island to shutter schools and offices, suspend the stock market and evacuate thousands of people.

On its path to Taiwan, Gaemi also exacerbated the seasonal rains in the Philippines, triggering flooding and landslides that killed six, and a tanker carrying 1.4 million litres of oil sank off Manila on July 24 with authorities racing to contain a spill.

“By Thursday morning, the typhoon had weakened and “the centre has moved out to sea” at around 4.20 a.m. (2020 GMT),” Taiwan’s weather authorities said.

Taiwan’s fire agency said it received a report on Thursday that a cargo ship had sunk off the island’s southern coast, forcing its nine Myanmar crew members to abandon ship in life jackets.

“They fell into the sea and were floating there,” said Hsiao Huan-chang, head of the fire agency, adding that rescuers contacted a nearby Taiwanese cargo ship to assist them.

Hsiao did not specify when the Tanzania-flagged ship sank, but said the rescue vessel arrived in the area at 8.35 a.m. (0035 GMT).