A search operation is underway for 42 crew members of a ship carrying almost 6,000 cattle, which capsized in the East China Sea yesterday, Wednesday, September 2, according to international reports.
Japanese coast guard rescuers are conducting the operation, having rescued a single member of the 43-strong crew of the ship, after Japanese navy P-3C surveillance aircraft spotted him wearing a life vest and waving in the water, according to Euronews.
The survivor purportedly told rescuers the vessel capsized before sinking, the European media outlet said.
The 11,947t Gulf Livestock 1 ship was carrying 5,800 cows west of the western coast of Amami Oshima island (in southwest Japan) in the East China Sea when it sent a distress call early Wednesday.
The cause of the distress was not immediately known, but the weather was rough in the area due to Typhoon Maysak.
The ship had been travelling from New Zealand to China, according to RTE; its crew apparently included 39 people from the Philippines, two from New Zealand, and two from Australia.
Three vessels, five air-planes and two divers had been deployed to continue the search, the Japanese coastguard reportedly said.
According to the crew member, the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard told media.
