By D. Maan, Jadetimes News
Search Underway for Cargo Ship with Nine Crew Members as Typhoon Gaemi Strikes Taiwan
Rescue officials in Taiwan are currently actively searching for a cargo ship that sank off its southern coast, carrying nine crew members onboard. The Tanzania flagged freighter was near the southern port city of Kaohsiung when Typhoon Gaemi hit the area.
The powerful storm also caused chaos in the Philippines, where relentless rain capsized a tanker carrying nearly 1.5 million liters of industrial fuel. Sixteen crew members of the Philippine flagged MT Terra Nova have been rescued, but one is still missing, said Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.
Typhoon Gaemi hit Taiwan's east coast Wednesday, killing three and leaving hundreds injured on the island. Before hitting Taiwan, Gaemi intensified already rainy conditions in the Philippines, where eight people have died. The storm is expected to make a second landfall in mainland China after passing through Taiwan.
The Coastguard Administration of Taiwan said that there were nine Myanmar nationals on the capsized freighter, Fu Shun. Also, three foreign vessels are aground during the typhoon but safe.
MT Terra Nova, with 2.5 million liters of industrial oil on board, capsized en route to the central city of Iloilo, which caused an oil spill extending for some kilometers in Manila Bay. So far, response efforts have been hampered by strong winds and high waves. The Philippine coast guard is examining if bad weather caused the tanker to sink.
The typhoon has prompted Taiwan to scrub parts of its largest annual military drills, nearly all domestic flights and more than 200 international flights. A land warning for all of Taiwan was issued by the island's Central Weather Administration.
Of the three killed in Taiwan, one was a motorist hit by a falling tree, and another was crushed by an excavator that toppled over. Reports say more than 8,000 people across the island have been temporarily relocated by local authorities.
Gaemi made landfall just before midnight on Wednesday on Taiwan's northeastern coast near Yilan County. The government announced a typhoon day, suspending work and classes across the island except for the Kinmen islands. On Thursday, schools and offices remained shut, and flights to and from Taiwan were canceled. In the capital, Taipei, residents stocked up and emptied supermarket shelves in anticipation of a price increase after the typhoon passes through.
Initially expected to hit further north, the mountains of northern Taiwan redirected the typhoon slightly south toward Hualien City. The storm is expected to make a landing in Taiwan, then cross the mountainous terrain after which it is expected to weaken and then re emerge in the Taiwan Strait to head toward China.
A second landfall is anticipated in Fujian province, southeastern China, later on Thursday. Several rail operators in China have suspended operations. Although Gaemi did not hit the Philippines directly, it intensified the southwest monsoon and brought heavy rain to Metro Manila and northern provinces on Wednesday. The state of calamity was declared in Metro Manila, with a population of nearly 15 million, as rivers and creeks overflowed. Social media footage showed cars floating in chest deep waters and commuters stranded on the roofs of sunken buses.
The state weather bureau said the rains, normal for this time of year, could last until later on Thursday.
