Typhoon Gaemi leaves sailors stranded as ‘unprecedented’ number of ships grounded near Taiwan

Survivors detail their ordeal of jumping into the sea holding each other in teams for survival amid rough conditions

Taiwan was struggling to rescue dozens of sailors off the southern coast after Typhoon Gaemi sank a freighter and grounded eight others in the Taiwan Strait.

At least 79 crew members were still awaiting rescue on eight freighters that were stranded, the Taiwanese coast guard said. But rough weather and rainfall were creating challenging conditions.

One crew member was found dead while four Myanmar nationals were rescued from a Tanzania-flagged freighter. The group detailed their ordeal of jumping into the sea holding each other in teams for survival amid rough conditions.

The ship had nine members on board. They said they separated into two groups, one of five and one of four, in order to jump into the sea and survive. Some of their colleagues watched helplessly as their life jackets were washed away.

One of the survivors said he had swum backwards to retrieve a waist bag containing his passport, before swimming “with all his life” to reach the shore, according to the BBC.

One of the crew members of sunken Tanzania flagged ship rescued in Taiwan (EPA)

Another burst out crying after calling his family as he informed his mother and his wife, who had assumed he had died, that he is alive.

The powerful typhoon swept through Taiwan on Thursday with gusts of up to 227kph (141mph) before moving towards China.

As Typhoon Gaemi barrelled across the Taiwan strait, it stranded an “unprecedented” number of ships in the sea for any other typhoon, according to Taiwan’s ocean affairs council minister Kuan Bi-ling, whose department runs the coast guard.

“Braving waves five-meters high ... our ships made it to as close as one nautical mile but still failed to get closer,” she said in a post on Facebook, adding authorities will continue the rescue efforts.

In Taiwan, the storm dumped over 1,800mm (70.8inches) rain in southern mountains since Tuesday and bringing flash flooding to several cities and towns that has largely receded.

Businesses and schools in most parts of southern Taiwan were shut for a third day.

The typhoon also injured more than 700 people and killed seven, and rescuers took nearly 1,000 people out of floodwater in inflatable boats.