Japanese Coast Guard forced to suspend search for missing Aussies as second typhoon hits coastline
Japan's coast guard has been forced to suspend the search for a missing livestock ship that two Australians were on as a second typhoon bears down on the coast.
Rescuers had previously found two living survivors of the Gulf Livestock 1, a ship that sent out a distress call and went missing during Typhoon Maysak on Friday.
A total of 43 crew were on board the ship, including two Australians William Mainprize of NSW and Queensland vet Lukas Orda.
READ MORE: Two Australians feared dead after cargo ship capsizes off Japan
NSW man William Mainprize has been named as the second Australian missing following a livestock ship capsizing off Japan. 9News
In this image made from video that was released by the 10th Regional Japan Coast Guard Headquarters, a rescued crew member of a Panamanian cargo ship speaks to Japanese Coast Guard members after he was rescued off the Amami Oshima, Japan Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020. AP/AAP
Authorities recovered one crew member who was found floating face down in a lifejacket, as well as numerous bodies of livestock who were onboard the ship.
Recounts from the two living Filipinos rescued say the ship capsized in heavy seas.
READ MORE: Second survivor rescued after cargo ship capsizes
Japanese rescuers have safely plucked the crew member from the sea while searching for the cargo ship carrying more than 40 crew and thousands of cows went missing after sending a distress call off the southern Japanese island. AP/AAP
Japanese rescuers have safely plucked the crewmember from the sea while searching for the cargo ship carrying more than 40 crew and thousands of cows went missing after sending a distress call off the southern Japanese island. AP/AAP
Japan braces for second typhoon in a week
The second powerful typhoon to slam Japan in a week unleashed fierce winds and rain on southern islands on Sunday, blowing off rooftops and leaving homes without power as it edged northward into an area vulnerable to flooding and mudslides.
Weather officials warned that the rainfall from what could be a record storm would be fierce.
This Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020, satellite image released by NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) shows Typhoon Haishen barreling toward the main southwestern island of Kyushu on Sunday. AP/AAP
Warnings were issued days in advance for people to be ready to take shelter and stock up on food and water.
Several rivers on the main southwestern island of Kyushu were at risk of overflowing, officials said.
Display shows cancelled flights at Fukuoka Airport as Typhoon Haishen approaches on September 05, 2020 in FUKUOKA, Japan. Getty
Mr Orda shared this photo of the ship before it departed. Facebook
Public broadcaster NHK TV said evacuation warnings were issued for more than 50,000 people in Okinawa and Kyushu, including Kagoshima and and Nagasaki prefectures.
News footage showed people in Kyushu starting to gather at gymnasiums, before winds gather momentum in the evening.
Social distancing will be in place to guard against the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said Typhoon Haishen, which means "sea god" in Chinese, was packing sustained winds of up to 162 kilometers (100 miles) per hour after battering Okinawa and the southern Kyushu island of Amami Oshima early Sunday.
Alerts for strong winds, waves, high tides, rainfall and lightning were issued for Amami Oshima alongside evacuation orders.
There were no immediate reports of any injuries in Okinawa, home to more than half of the roughly 50,000 U.S. troops based in Japan under a bilateral treaty.
Typhoon Haishen, one of the strongest typhoon ever for Japan, approaches the country and the Japan Meteorological Agency warned of record-breaking winds, high waves, storm surges, and unprecedented heavy rain elsewhere in Kyushu island. Getty
Haishen was not only powerful — equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane — but also large in its reach, according to the meteorological agency.
Bullet trains were temporarily halting services, and dozens of flights were canceled. All Nippon Airways said such cancellations will continue Monday and possibly on Tuesday for flights in southern Japan, such as Yamaguchi, Kochi and Fukuoka.
- With Associated Press
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