Air-sea search on in South China Sea for 10 seamen missing in wake of typhoon

July 25 (UPI) -- The coastguards of Taiwan and the Philippines on Thursday were scouring the South China Sea for a least 10 seamen missing from commercial vessels sunk or damaged as Typhoon Gaemi barreled through the region packing 140-mph winds.

The Taiwan Coastguard and nearby ships were trying to establish radio contact with an abandoned Tanzanian cargo ship listing and in distress, 15 miles off the southern port of Kaohsiung amid a major air-sea search rescue operation to locate the crew of nine, all from Myanmar, the Transportation and Communications Ministry said in a news release .

Transport Minister Li Meng-yen called for "maximum humanitarian rescue efforts through all possible means" to find the seamen from 185-foot Fu Shun Lun in a visit to the country's Maritime Disaster Response Center that was handling at least five other maritime incidents, all groundings, from the typhoon, which coincided with a high tide.

The BBC reported that a Black Hawk helicopter from the National Airborne Service Corps had been deployed to join in the search despite strong winds from Gaemi, the most powerful typhoon to hit Taiwan in eight years, continuing to batter the area.

The hulls and crews of all the vessels that had run aground were safe, either rescued or awaiting rescue, and Li ordered that the salvage operation prioritize personnel safety and preventing oil spills.

"Based on current sea conditions, the earliest improvement might occur by Sunday, and the Maritime and Port Bureau will make early preparations to ensure proper handling of the vessels in the shortest possible time to ensure maritime safety and effectively mitigate any marine pollution crisis," the MOTC said.

In the Philippines, the Coast Guard said it was searching for a seaman after it rescued 16 of the 17-strong crew of the Philippine-flagged oil tanker Terra Nova in the early hours of Thursday after it capsized and eventually sank in Manila Bay 3.6 miles off the Bataan coast.

Four of those rescued were receiving medical treatment, the Coast Guard reported in a post on social media in which it said it was tracking a 5.6-mile-long oil slick from the air and that a marine environmental protection team along with three, 144-foot multi-role response vessels had been deployed to respond to the oil spill.

The vessel was delivering 370,000 gallons of industrial fuel oil to the central Philippine city of Iloilo.

PCG Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil L. Gavan had ordered an investigation regarding the maritime incident, the Coast Guard said.

Gaemi was crossing the Taiwan Strait headed for China on Thursday where it was expected to make landfall in Fujian Province after days of strong winds and torrential rain left a trail of destruction and death across Taiwan and the northern Philippines.

Heavy flooding and landslides in the Philippines killed at least 22 people. while at least three were killed in Taiwan and more than 220 reported hurt.

Roads and rail lines were blocked, half a million households were without power and offices and schools remained closed for a second day with the Taiwan government announcing Thursday it had deployed the military to join in rescue and clean-up efforts.

"The disaster prevention and relief systems of the central and local governments have been fully activated, and the national army has ended the Han Kuang exercise early at noon and diverted to disaster prevention and rescue missions," President William Lai Ching-te wrote on social media .

Lai pledged his central ministries would do their utmost to help local governments minimize the disaster and help those affected to "resume their daily lives as soon as possible."

He warned the public that the danger was not over with persistent heavy rains with little to no warning forecast for the mountains in the central part of the island and the south, and the flat land south of Miaoli.

"The typhoon warning and heavy rain warning has not been lifted and I would like to ask everyone to pay close attention to the latest disaster prevention information before and avoid mountains, streams and the seaside for the next few days.

"In low-lying areas, pay attention to storm sea surges and flooding, look out for each other and work hard to prevent further impacts from the disaster," Lai said.