In brief
The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies are intensively searching for five missing crew members from the cargo ship Mariana, which overturned in rough seas near the Northern Mariana Islands due to Super Typhoon Sinlaku. Divers located one crew member's body, but no further discoveries have been made while extensive searches continue across numerous miles of ocean.
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Authorities have found the body of one of the six missing crew members from a cargo ship that overturned near the Northern Mariana Islands during a typhoon.
U.S. Air Force divers utilized underwater drones to search the vessel and recovered the body on Tuesday, according to a U.S. Coast Guard news release.
Additional divers from the Japan Coast Guard continued to examine the sunken ship, but did not uncover any more crew members, the Coast Guard noted.
“Coast Guard aircrews are persisting in their search for the five missing crewmen and an orange 12-person life raft in the vicinity of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,” the agency stated.
More than 99,000 square miles (256,000 square kilometers) have been searched by the Coast Guard partnered with agencies from Guam, Japan, and New Zealand in their ongoing efforts.
The ship, named the Mariana, reported engine failure on April 15 to the U.S. Coast Guard and requested assistance. Communication with the vessel was lost the following day.
Cmdr. Preston Hieb, the mission coordinator from the Coast Guard Oceania District, commented, “Our hearts are with the families of the Mariana crew members and the communities impacted by this tragic incident. We continue to search in close coordination with our partners, using all available resources to support the ongoing response.”
Initial search efforts faced challenges from heavy winds, but the overturned ship was subsequently spotted about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Pagan, one of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The Coast Guard reported that debris, including a partially submerged life raft, was seen approximately 110 miles (177 kilometers) from the ship. Super Typhoon Sinlaku struck the Northern Mariana Islands, resulting in significant wind damage and flooding.
