Unconscious man, dead cattle found after freighter accident off Japan

Tokyo, Sept. 4, (dpa/GNA) – An unconscious man and an unknown number of dead cattle have been found and are to be brought ashore to Japan, as rescuers continue to search for more crew and cattle from a freighter that capsized off the country’s coast.

The man was found drifting face down in the ocean, the Japanese coast guard announced Friday.

He had reportedly been aboard a freighter carrying 43 crew members and about 5,800 head of cattle that capsized off south-western Japan after it was hit by waves churned by a powerful typhoon.

The 11,947-ton Gulf Livestock 1 lost an engine before it was hit by waves and sank, Sareno Edvardo from the Philippines, who was rescued late Wednesday, told coastguard officials, according to the Japan Coast Guard.

All 43 crew – 39 Filipinos, two Australians and two New Zealanders – were told to put on life jackets when the ship capsized, Edvardo said.

Japan’s Navy and the Japan Coast Guard were searching for the ship and the 41 people who remained unaccounted for.

The coast guard received a distress call from the ship early Wednesday morning when it was about 185 kilometres west of Amami Oshima Island.

Rescue operations were hampered as the area was hit by torrential rains and strong winds because of Typhoon Maysak, weather authorities said.

The freighter left Napier, New Zealand on August 14 and was due to arrive in Tangshan, China on Friday.

GNA