NZ livestock ship, crew missing off Japan amid typhoon
September 3, 2020
Japan's coastguard has rescued one person as it searched for a vessel with nearly 6,000 livestock and 43 crew members on board. The survivor said the ship sank as Typhoon Maysak wreaked havoc in the region.
Image: picture-alliance/Kyodo
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Rescuers were searching on Thursday for a New Zealand cargo ship that went missing off the coast of Japan, as a typhoon Maysak tore through the region.
The Gulf Livestock 1 had sent a distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan as strong winds and rains. One Filipino crew member has since been rescued, after Japanese navy P-3C surveillance aircraft found him wearing a life vest and waving, while bobbing in the water.
The survivor told rescuers that an engine stopped, causing the vessel to stall. The boat then capsized after being hit by a powerful broadside wave and sank. To save his life, he quickly put on a life jacket and jumped into the sea. He is currently hospitalized, but in good health, Japan's coast guard said.
Over 5,800 heads of cattle on board
The Gulf Livestock 1 left Napier on New Zealand's north island on August 14 with 5,867 cattle, heading for the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China. The trip was supposed to last for around 17 days, New Zealand's Foreign Ministry told Reuters news agency.
Typhoon Maysak is moving northward along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, in this image taken by South Korea's geostationary satelliteImage: picture-alliance/dpa/YNA
Japanese coastguard authorities said the ship had 43 people and almost 6,000 cattle on board. The crew consisted of 39 citizens from the Philippines, two from New Zealand, and two from Australia, Japan's coastguard confirmed.
The crew consisted of 39 citizens from the Philippines, two from New Zealand, and two from Australia, Japan's coastguard confirmed.
North and South Korea badly affected by storm
Maysak has also been causing devastation in South Korea, with winds reaching up to 140 kilometers (87 miles) per hour, off the coastal region where the city of Gangneung is located. The typhoon is headed for North Korea, South Korea's weather agency said.
North Korea's state TV showed widespread flooding in the eastern coastal cities of Wonsan and Tanchon.
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1 death, more than 2,000 evacuated
Maysak has resulted in at least one person's death and forced more than 2,200 people to flee their homes in South Korea. The typhoon has taken out dozens of trees, utility poles and lamp posts, ripped off signboards, and damaged or flooded numerous homes and vehicles.
A woman in the southern city of Busan died after being injured by shattered window glass.
Four nuclear power reactors near Busan automatically shut down, but no leak of radioactive materials has yet been detected, South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.
As of Thursday morning, officials have managed to restore electricity to roughly 40,000 homes with 80,000 still without power.
Cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes - the power of devastation
Cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes pack a devastating punch: wherever they go, they leave a trail of destruction. But how do these powerful tropical storms arise?
Image: AFP/D. Sarkar
Social distancing impossible during Cyclone Amphan
Residents along Bangladesh's coast are being moved to safety as one of the strongest cyclones in years strikes the region. Millions of people had to be evacuated from low-lying regions along the Bay of Bengal on May 19. But plans are complicated by the coronavirus precautions. Maintaining social distancing is nearly impossible.
Image: AFP/District Administration of Bhola
Typhoon season amid the COVID-19 pandemic
On May 14, Typhoon Vongfong slammed the Philippines with strong winds and heavy rains, destroying the city of San Policarpo in the eastern province of Samar. At least five people died and more than 91,000 people were forced to leave their homes. Typhoons are not unusual in the Philippines at this time of year. But the COVID-19 outbreak lockdown measures are exacerbating the situation.
Image: AFP/A. Beronio
Three names - one phenomenon
Hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone are actually three names for the same phenomenon. Along the North American coast they are called hurricanes, in East and Southeast Asia they are called typhoons, and near India and Australia they are called cyclones. But despite the different names, they develop in the same way.
Image: Reuters
A cyclone is created
Tropical storms develop over oceans when the water temperature is at least 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit). As the warm water evaporates and condenses, the air around it heats up and drags cooler air upwards, creating powerful winds.
The eye of the storm
The Earth's rotation causes the air stream to move around the eye of the storm, which can be up to 50 kilometers wide. This area is nearly completely free of clouds and wind.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A storm hits land
When a tropical storm hits a coastline, it becomes weaker due to the lack of warm water. In Australia, "Marcia" was soon downgraded to a category one storm, while "Lam" weakened after striking near Brisbane. Masses of water from the sea often cause the worst damage - as seen here in China after Typhoon Nanmadol in August 2011.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Chaos ensues
Hurricane Sandy was one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean. It caused waves of up to 4 meters high, fires, power outages and broken dykes. Sandy arrived with winds at speeds of more than 145 kilometers per hour. Cuba, New York and New Jersey were particularly affected.
Image: Reuters
Destructive vortex
Tornadoes however, are non-tropical whirlwinds that can occur anywhere a storm is brewing. Local temperature differences force warm air upwards and cold air down, and a column of warm air rotates upwards at an increasing velocity. Tornadoes are usually only a maximum of 1 kilometer in diameter.
Fastest storms
As the warm air rises, it forms a funnel, the main characteristic of a tornado. Inside the funnel, the speed of the air can be tremendous - up to 500 kilometers per hour. Tornadoes are the fastest whirlwind type of weather phenomenon.
Image: Fotolia/Daniel Loretto
Trail of destruction
A tornado can leave a trail of destruction several kilometers long. In the US Midwest, tornadoes occur several hundred times a year, as dry, cold air from the north hits damp, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico. It's different in other countries - in Germany, for example, tornadoes occasionally occur along the coast.
