More than ten people They are still missing after the Chinese engineering ship Fujing001 – with a crew of 30 people – sank 300 kilometers (185 miles) southwest of Hong Kong on Saturday, as the typhoon hit southern China with winds of 144 kilometers per hour (89.5 metres/ hour). .
And while the Hong Kong government’s aviation service pulled three people to safety on Saturday, hopes of finding other survivors faded after the service said Sunday night that the probability of that happening was “extremely slim”.
However, a few hours later, the Guangdong Maritime Search and Rescue Center in southern China announced that it had rescued one of the fourth crew members – who was described as being in “normal physical condition”.
Guangdong authorities also said they had found what were believed to be the remains of 12 other crew members, and that the identities of the bodies were still confirmed.
The discovery of a fourth crew member followed the resumption of search operations on Sunday. The Hong Kong Maritime Department said the search was suspended on Saturday night due to bad weather that made it very dangerous for rescue teams.
“The chances of finding (any other crew) alive are very slim,” West Wu Wai-hang, the Hong Kong government’s aviation services controller, said at a press conference on Sunday after his service rescued the three crew.
“We would like to give our hearts to the families of the missing sailors and workers, and I hope we can find some survivors, it would be a miracle to do so.”
The following day, the Guangzhou Naval Base confirmed that a fourth crew member – described as a deck worker – had been rescued alive and that arrangements were underway to take the person ashore.
The three crew members who were rescued by the Hong Kong Flight Service are described as being in stable condition and are being treated at North Lantau Hospital.
The 240-meter (787-foot) vessel – described by Chinese authorities as a “floating crane” – was being used to help build a wind farm off the coast of southern China when Chapa struck.
As of Sunday, Hong Kong’s aviation service said it had used three fixed-wing aircraft, six helicopters and 36 rescuers in the 1,300-kilometre (807-mile) search.
The Guangdong Maritime Search and Rescue Center said it used seven rescue vessels, as well as rescue, merchant and coast guard vessels.
The center said it also coordinated with China Southern Airlines to send rescue helicopters.
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