14 Rescued from Sinking Ship in Typhoon

A nighttime helicopter rescue saved the crew of a sinking cargo ship from massive waves in the early hours of Tuesday. The waves were up to 10 meters near Hong Kong as Typhoon Kalmaegi was in force nearby.

The rescue operation began around 1 a.m. as the cargo ship, Hao Jun, lost power in Chinese waters about 20km southwest of Macau. The ship’s captain ordered the 13 other crewmembers to abandon ship as it was taking on water and in danger of sinking.

A Super Puma helicopter was dispatched to rescue the crew after Guangdong maritime rescue authorities sought help from their Hong Kong counterparts, reported the South China Morning Post.

Wind gusts of over 100 km/h also made plucking the sailors from the ship and hoisting them to safety a huge challenge, as the ship was rocking violently. It took rescuers about an hour to rescue the 14 crew members who were then airlifted to Hong Kong. One crew member required hospital treatment.

Separately, just before 5 a.m., another helicopter was deployed to rescue an 11-man crew on board a barge that had run aground in the same area. But as seas calmed, the crew were able to be rescued by boat.

The Observatory raised the emergency signal at 10.30 p.m. as Typhoon Kalmaegi barreled towards Guangdong and Hainan Island, bringing with it gusts of up to 166km/h. The Observatory lowered the typhoon warning signal at 10.40 a.m. on Tuesday. The typhoon is now nearing Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong.