HONG KONG — Chinese maritime authorities reported that rescue teams were searching for missing crew members of a Chinese engineering vessel that sank on Saturday. They saved one person and found 12 bodies.
Officials confirmed that the crew member who was rescued on Monday by a Chinese navy vessel was in stable condition. On Saturday, three other members of the 30-member crew were also rescued.
Authorities in Guangdong, a southeastern province, said that the bodies were located 50 nautical miles (90 km) southwest of the spot where the vessel Fujing001 sank. Officials attempted to identify the bodies.
The search for remaining crew members was ongoing.
China-registered floating cranes were involved in the construction of several offshore wind farms. The crane was sheltering from Tropical Storm Chaba but it dragged its anchor, and the anchor chain broke, according to maritime authorities.
The vessel broke in two and sank on Saturday.
The ship went down about 300 km (180 miles) southwest from Hong Kong. The vessel was located close to the center storm surge, making rescue operations difficult.
For the rescue effort, Hong Kong sent four helicopters and two fixed-wing aircraft to Hong Kong on Saturday. Although the search for the crew members remaining alive continued on Monday, Hong Kong authorities stated that there were very slim chances of them being rescued.
Eight people were killed in China when a decorative structure falling from about 12 meters (40ft) fell on Saturday. It said that another person was also struck by the structure and was in stable condition at the hospital.
