In the early morning of June 13, 12 crew members on a cargo ship off the coast of Hainan province, China were rescued safely in extremely dangerous weather conditions as Typhoon No. 1 Wutip approached the mainland.
According to the announcement from the Nam Hai Rescue Department (China Ministry of Transport), this unit received an emergency distress signal on the evening of June 12. The cargo ship was about 14 nautical miles southwest of Hainan's southwest coast as the sea began to experience strong waves and strong winds from the impact of Typhoon Wutip.
The rescue operation was launched at 6:30 p.m. the same day, and the rescue ship arrived at the scene at 11:50 p.m. Despite the 3m high waves and strong gusts of wind, the entire crew was safely evacuated within just 43 minutes.
All 12 people are receiving medical care and food on the rescue ship, waiting for stable weather conditions to return to the mainland.
On the evening of June 12, Wutip strengthened and continued to reach typhoon level in the early morning of June 13, with sustained winds of 101 km/h, moving northwest at a speed of 5-10 km/h. The center of the storm is near the ledong Li autonomous district, south of Hainan Island.
Responding to the storm at the beginning of the season, the Hainan government has activated a series of large-scale natural disaster prevention measures.
All schools, construction works and tourist attractions in Tam A city have temporarily suspended operations. High-speed railway lines across the province have stopped running. Tam A airport canceled all flights from 10:00 p.m. on June 12. Fishing vessels banned from going out to sea, ports temporarily closed
The rescue team also placed 7 rescue ships and 4 helicopters on standby. Strong seas and gusts continue to be a serious threat to maritime transportation, fishing and coastal activities.
