The U.S. Coast Guard has launched a search for six people after losing contact with a disabled cargo vessel off the coast of Guam, due to Typhoon Sinlaku.
The 145-foot dry cargo ship, the Mariana, reported a lost starboard engine on April 15, with communications ceasing the following afternoon, April 16.
An HC-130 Hercules aircraft was dispatched but returned to Guam due to heavy winds.
Search efforts are expected to resume at first light, Private Third Class Avery Tibbets stated.
Typhoon Sinlaku has battered the Northern Mariana Islands this week, causing damage on Tinian and Saipan, and flash flooding in Guam, home to several American military bases.
As dangerous weather conditions ease and shelter-in-place orders lift, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal agencies are ramping up their response to the typhoon, Robert Fenton, FEMA regional administrator for Region 9, which includes Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, confirmed Friday.
