Cargo ship with nine crew members sinks off Taiwan amid Typhoon Gaemi, rescue operation underway

Rescue officials in Taiwan are urgently searching for a cargo ship with nine crew members that sank off the southern coast amid Typhoon Gaemi on Thursday.

Sunita Iyer

First Published Jul 25, 2024, 10:18 AM IST | Last Updated Jul 25, 2024, 10:46 AM IST

Rescue officials in Taiwan are urgently searching for a cargo ship with nine crew members that sank off the southern coast amid Typhoon Gaemi on Thursday. The Tanzania-flagged freighter, located near the port city of Kaohsiung, went down as the powerful storm struck Taiwan, leading to significant destruction.

Typhoon Gaemi, which made landfall on Taiwan's northeastern coast near Yilan county around midnight on Wednesday (16:00 GMT), has resulted in the deaths of three people and injuries to hundreds more. The storm's impact extends beyond Taiwan; it also caused extensive damage in the Philippines, where relentless rains led to eight fatalities.

The Taiwan Coastguard Administration confirmed that the freighter's crew consisted of nine Myanmar nationals. Additionally, three other foreign vessels ran aground during the typhoon. The severe weather conditions prompted the cancellation of numerous domestic and international flights and parts of Taiwan's largest annual military drills.

Authorities have issued warnings about the heightened risk of landslides and flash flooding, particularly in areas destabilized by a significant earthquake in April. Among the casualties in Taiwan, one person was killed by a falling tree, and another was crushed by an overturned excavator. Over 8,000 residents have been temporarily relocated due to the storm's impact.

Gaemi, the most powerful storm to hit Taiwan in eight years, has forced the government to declare a typhoon day, suspending work and classes across the island except for the Kinmen islands. Schools and offices remained closed on Thursday, and flights to and from Taiwan were cancelled.

The typhoon's path shifted slightly south towards Hualien due to the mountainous terrain in northern Taiwan. Gaemi is expected to weaken as it moves over the island's mountains before re-emerging in the Taiwan Strait towards China. A second landfall is anticipated in Fujian province, with heavy rain expected in the already flood-stricken region. Rail services in China have been suspended in preparation.

Despite the storm's strong winds, the primary threat from Gaemi is the immense moisture it carries. Taiwan's Central Weather Administration has issued a land warning, predicting between one and two meters of rainfall in the central and southern mountains within the next 24 hours. In Taipei, supermarket shelves were emptied as residents prepared for price increases after the typhoon.

The government had to cancel parts of its planned week-long Hang Kuang military drills, which were intended to be the most realistic ever.

In the Philippines, Gaemi intensified the southwest monsoon, causing heavy rain in the capital region and northern provinces. Metro Manila, home to nearly 15 million people, was placed under a state of calamity, with rivers and creeks overflowing. Footage showed cars floating in chest-deep water and commuters stranded on bus roofs. The state weather bureau warned that rains could persist until Thursday.

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