An industrial support vessel operating in the South China Sea has sunk into a storm with the possible loss of more than two dozen crew members, rescue services said in Hong Kong.
Authorities sent planes and helicopters to assist in the rescue, with at least three people from the crew of 30 people put in safety at 5.30pm local time. (1030 GMT) Saturday.
Photographs released by the Hong Kong Government Flight Service showed a crew member boarding a rescue helicopter as large waves whipped the sinking ship, which had broken into two parts.
The crash took place about 300 km (186 miles) south of Hong Kong.
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The flight service did not give the name or origin of the vessel. He said in a statement that crew members were negotiating the difficulties caused by the severe tropical storm Chaba, with maximum winds of 110 km / h (68mph).
The storm made landfall in the western part of Guangdong’s coastal province later Saturday. The Hong Kong service sent two fixed-wing planes and four helicopters for the rescue effort.