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Cargo ship sinks in rough weather, dozens missing

A Coast Guard patrol helps a sailor rescued from rough waters yesterday. PHOTO: CNA

A Panama-registered cargo ship sank to the northwest of Keelung Islet (基隆嶼) after hitting rough weather yesterday as Tropical Storm Mitag hit the area, leaving almost 30 people missing, a Coast Guard official said yesterday.

The coast guard was able to rescue one person, Herry Marthen Bakarbessy of Indonesia, after it received the Mezzanine's call for help on Tuesday, he said.

"However, because of the strong winds, the rescue effort has been difficult," the official told Reuters by telephone.

A Ministry of Transportation and Communications official told AFP: "I'm afraid the other people are dead. After all, the chance of surviving such bad weather for a whole day is really low."

Additional reporting by staff writer
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