2nd crew member, dead cows found after ship sank off Japan

Japanese rescuers found a second crew member and multiple dead cows Friday in waters where a livestock ship capsized and sank during stormy weather two days earlier, coast guard officials said.

The man was found unconscious and floating face down about 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of Amami Oshima in the East China Sea, where rescuers have been looking for the Gulf Livestock 1 ship and its missing crew since it sent a distress signal early Wednesday.

The man, whose nationality and crew status is unknown, was being taken to a hospital on the island, regional coast guard official Rena Uchinomiya said. She said rescuers also spotted an unidentified number of cows floating in the area. So far, she was not aware of reports of any dead cows washing ashore Japanese coasts.

The 11,947-ton ship, its 43 crew and 5,800 cows left New Zealand in mid-August heading to Tangshan on China’s eastern coast.

A Filipino crew member who was safely rescued late Wednesday told rescuers the ship stalled when an engine stopped, then capsized after being hit by a powerful broadside wave and sank, coast guard officials said. The survivor, a chief officer, said he put on a life jacket and jumped into the sea, and he has not seen any other crew members since then.

The total crew included 39 from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and two from Australia.

Typhoon Maysak was blowing by southern Japan at the time of the sinking. The ship's automated tracker showed it sailing in high winds of 58 knots (66 miles or 107 kilometers per hour) at its last known position, according to the ship-tracking website MarineTraffic.com.

The ship’s operator, Gulf Navigation Holdings PJSC, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, declined to comment. The company, traded on the Dubai Financial Market, says it owns and operates chemical tankers, livestock vessels and other ships.

Another powerful typhoon is approaching southern Japan over the weekend.