Japan's Coast Guard Only Finds 1 Sailor After 43 Go Missing Along with 5,800 Cows on Cargo Ship in Typhoon
AP/Shutterstock Filipino crewmember of a Panamanian cargo ship is rescued by Japanese Coast Guard members in the waters off the Amami Oshima, Japan
Dozens of people aboard a cargo ship have gone missing off the coast of Japan during Typhoon Maysak — and only one sailor has been discovered alive so far.
The ship, which was carrying thousands of cattle from New Zealand to China, was caught in the typhoon on Wednesday, CNN reported.
A distress signal was sent from the Panama-registered Gulf Livestock 1 early Wednesday morning, when it was about 115 miles off the coast of Japan's Amami Oshima island, according to the outlet.
Aboard the ship were 43 people and 5,800 cows. Two of the crew members were from New Zealand, two were from Australia and 39 were from the Philippines, CNN reported.
The lone survivor so far, identified by The New York Times as Sareno Edvardo of the Philippines, told the Japanese Coast Guard that the 456-foot ship capsized in the storm.
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"When it was capsizing, an onboard announcement instructed us to wear a life jacket," Edvardo said, according to the NYT. "So I wore a life jacket and jumped into the sea."
Edvardo was reportedly rescued late Wednesday night and was in good condition after being taken to a hospital on Amami Oshima.
Among the missing sailors is 25-year-old Australian Lukas Orda, 7News.com reported Thursday. Orda, from Queensland, is reportedly dad to a 6-month-old son.
Rescue efforts were scheduled to continue into Thursday.
Typhoon Maysak reached its peak on Tuesday with winds reaching 145 miles per hour, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. The storm has since made landfall in South Korea.
Animal rights activists say the missing ship exemplifies reasons why livestock should not be transported by sea.
"These cows should never have been at sea. To make matters worse they’re likely all pregnant," said Marianne Macdonald, the campaigns manager for SAFE New Zealand, in a statement Wednesday.
"This is a real crisis, and our thoughts are with the families of the 43 crew who are missing with the ship. But questions remain, including why this trade is allowed to continue," Macdonald's statement continued. "This is a high-risk trade that puts the lives of animals at risk which is why the export of live animals must be banned."
