13 out f the 15crewmembers have been rescued so far
A Chinese cargo ship capsized off the northern Philippine province of Cagayan early on Sunday, leaving one crewmember dead and another missing, according to Chinese consular officials.
A search is currently underway for the missing crewmember, while 13 other crewmembers had been rescued, said Lin Zhangbiao, captain of the Changda 216, which was heading to East China’s Fujian province when the accident happened.
One of the crewmembers was hospitalized and is expected to be discharged on Monday, Lin added.
The ship had 15 crewmembers on board, including 13 Chinese nationals, one Indonesian and one Filipino, he said.
Heavy rain is hindering the search and rescue operation, said an official at the Chinese consulate in Laoag.
The ship sank about 2.4 kilometers from the mouth of the Cagayan River as it was battered by huge waves, Captain George Ursabia, commander of the Philippine Coast Guard’s Northern Luzon District, told Xinhua News Agency.
The wind was so strong that the ship filled with seawater and was severely damaged, he said.
The coast guard is looking for the missing crewmember and watching the sunken ship in order to prevent an oil spill as it is loaded with 70 tons of diesel, Ursabia said.
The mast of the ship can be seen from the water’s surface, he said. “However, it can’t be salvaged as of now because of the rough sea.”
A team of Chinese embassy officials heading to the area was blocked by a landslide on Sunday afternoon.
The officials said they would try their best to send the rescued crewmembers back to China as soon as possible by cooperating with the related Philippine departments.
Source: China Daily