Twenty-six Chinese sailors have been rescued off the northern Philippines after their ship went down in rough waters, but two were still reported missing, the coast guard said yesterday.
Twenty-six out of the 28 crew members of the Jinshan abandoned ship on Sunday and were taken aboard the Japan-bound oil tanker Towada, coast guard spokesman Lieutenant-Commander Armando Balilo said.
Luzon
The Jinshan went down about 68 nautical miles (126km) northwest of Cape Bojeador on the northern tip of the main Philippine island of Luzon, he said.
The size of the vessel, its cargo or its destination were not immediately known.
The vessel had been taking in water after being holed in its hull and it eventually sank, Balilo said.
"Our rescue vessels are in the area, but found no signs of the missing crew members," Balilo said.
China's Maritime Search and Rescue Center sought assistance from the Philippines late on Sunday shortly after the cargo ship went missing, Balilo said earlier in a statement.
Luzon's northern seaboard has "rough to very rough" waters with waves of between 4m and 7m at this time of the year caused by the northeast monsoons, the Philippines weather office in Manila said.
winds
The area is lashed by winds of between 32 knots and 43 knots (59kph-80kph), weather forecaster Chris Perez said.
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