In a post on its Instagram account, GFS said it received a rescue request at 7:25 a.m. local time on Saturday. It said the vessel’s crew abandoned ship after it sustained significant damage in the South China Sea.
Dramatic footage of the rescue operation showed a crew member being pulled by rope in a helicopter from the ship as it sank.
Three crew members were rescued, but the fate of the other 27 people on board remained unclear, the GFS said, adding that rough weather was hampering search and rescue operations.
Four helicopters and two sorties of fixed-wing aircraft were deployed to the scene to conduct search and rescue operations, the GFS added.
The storm caused disruption across the region, with flights canceled and some businesses closed due to high winds and heavy rainfall.
Hong Kong authorities issued a typhoon warning on Thursday, during a much-anticipated visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The opening of Hong Kong’s new palace museum that was to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover from British rule to China was postponed until Sunday because of the storm.
Champa arrived in China’s Guangdong province at about 3 p.m. local time (3 a.m. ET).
