China: Three Rescued and 27 Missing in Sinking Floating Crane

Three people have been rescued while 27 are still missing after a floating crane sank off the coast of Guangdong province in southern China.

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Local authorities have issued a level one emergency response, mobilizing coast guard and merchant vessels in the area and sending helicopters to search for the missing.

Hong Kong SAR has also dispatched aircraft to support the rescue operation. According to authorities, the anchor chain of the crane broke when Typhoon Chaba hit the ship, causing the crane to sink.

So far only three people have been rescued alive as part of the search operations.

The incident occurred after the vessel's anchor broke in an attempt to avoid the path of the weather phenomenon on its way through the city of Yangjiang, Canton province.

As a result, the cargo ship broke in two and sank, with some 30 crew members escaping with their lives before it sank completely, caused by winds of 144 kilometers per hour and waves up to ten meters high, according to authorities.

Chaba is the third typhoon of the year to hit the province of Canton, and according to the authorities' forecasts, it is moving at a speed of 15-20 kilometers per hour towards the north, and is expected to dissipate this Monday in the Guangxi region.