DOZENS MISSING IN SHIPWRECK DURING SOUTH CHINA SEA TYPHOON

HONG KONG—More than two dozen crew members are unaccounted for after their ship broke into two during a typhoon in the South China Sea on Saturday, with rescuers scrambling to find them, officials say.

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 ship, according to the Hong Kong Government Flying Service.

Three people had been rescued as of 3 p.m. local time and were taken to hospital for treatment, authorities said.

Dramatic footage provided by Hong Kong authorities showed a person being airlifted onto a helicopter while waves crashed over the deck of the semisubmerged ship below.

The three survivors said other crew members may have been swept away by waves before the first helicopter arrived, according to a government statement.

More dangerous

Typhoon “Chaba” earlier formed in the central part of the South China Sea and on Saturday afternoon made landfall in Guangdong province in southern China.

Rescuers in Hong Kong were notified of the incident at 7:25 a.m. local time and found the ship near Chaba’s center, where harsh weather conditions and nearby wind farms made the operation “more difficult and dangerous.”

The ship’s location recorded wind speeds of 144 kilometers per hour and waves that were 10 meters high, authorities said.

The Government Flying Service dispatched two sorties of fixed-wing aircraft and four helicopter sorties, with mainland Chinese authorities also dispatching a rescue boat.

Rescuers said they would increase the search area “due to the large number of people missing” and extend the operation into the night if conditions allowed.