Typhoon Chaba: Over 24 sailors lost in a shipwreck in the South China Sea

Hong Kong: After typhoon Chaba caused a ship to break into two in the South China Sea, over 24 crew members are still missing. The rescue team has been looking for them and was able to find only three people.

According to the Hong Kong government authorities, the three survivors think that other crew members may have been swept away by the ocean before the rescue team arrived.

As of 3 pm local time (0700 GMT), three of the crew members were rescued and taken to the hospital for treatments, officials told AFP. Footage provided by the authorities showed a person being airlifted onto a helicopter. The ship appeared to be semi-submerged and waves were crashing over the deck.

Rescuers were notified of the shipwreck at 7.25 am local time and found the ship to be near Chaba's centre. Rescuers are now preparing to increase the search area "due to the large number of people missing". If conditions allow, the search will continue into the night.

The Hong Kong Government Flying Service said an engineering vessel that was 160 nautical miles southwest of Hong Kong "suffered substantial damage and broke into two pieces" and the 30-member crew abandoned the ship.

Typhoon Chaba was formed in the central part of the South China Sea. It made landfall in the Guangdong province in southern China on Saturday afternoon. The harsh weather made it difficult and dangerous for them to carry out the operation. The wind speed was 144 kmph and waves were 10 metres high.

Chaba is a medium-intensity typhoon expected to lose strength over time. However, it is likely to bring extremely heavy rains. The west of Guangdong may be at risk because the typhoons tend to last longer there. The rainstorms cause landslides, urban waterlogging, and floods in the region, reported Al Jazeera.