18 fishermen still missing, 38 others rescued after typhoon Neoguri hit S China
2008-04-18 19:53:29 Xinhua English
Ships sway in strong wind at the Qinglan harbor of Wenchang City, south China's Hainan Province, April 18, 2008. The epicenter of typhoon Neoguri of grade 13, the first strong typhoon hitting China this year, was in the South China Sea, some 120 kilometers southeast of Wenchang City Friday afternoon. It is forecast to land in the coastal areas between Wenchang and Wanning from late Friday to early Saturday. (Xinhua Photo)
A tree is blown down by strong wind in Wenchang City, south China's Hainan Province, April 18, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)
A minibus drives past trees blown down by strong wind in Wenchang City, south China's Hainan Province, April 18, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)
An advertisement board is blew down in Wenchang City of south China's Hainan Province, April 18, 2008. Typhoon Neoguri, the first typhoon to approach south China this year, was 180 kilometers from the southernmost province of Hainan at 5 a.m. on Friday, according to the provincial observatory. (Xinhua Photo)
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HAIKOU, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Eighteen fishermen remained missing and 38 others had been rescued after typhoon Neoguri approached and hit south China, said local authorities on Saturday morning.
The local fishing office in Hainan Province lost contact with the 56, who were on three boats sheltered at a reef area of the Xisha Archipelago, on Thursday evening when Neoguri approached the region.
All the three boats were damaged and the 38 rescued fishermen swam to reefs and stayed there until being found by a rescue ship, said Zhang Jie, vice director of the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration.
A freighter passing by also joined in the search of the missing fishermen while the administration has dispatched a helicopter in addition to the rescue ship for the task.
Typhoon Neoguri hit land in Hainan on Friday evening, causing economic losses, canceling flights and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
The island's fishing authorities have recalled 80,000 fishermen and 21,800 boats from sea.
Neoguri may land in Guangdong Province Saturday afternoon, according to the central observatory.
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