Taiwan on Thursday continued to search for the 26 crew of an Indonesian cargo ship which sank off Taiwan's north- eastern tip in typhoon weather, DPA reported. The Taiwan military and patrol police dispatched planes and ships to search for the 26 crew of the Panama-registered Mezzanine, but did not find anyone as of Thursday afternoon. The Mezzanine, carrying a load of iron ore and 27 Indonesian crew, was sailing from Indonesia to China's Tianjin port when it sank off Keelung in stormy weather caused by Typhoon Mitag on Tuesday. The bulk carrier, owned by Indonesia's Indosuccess company, sent out an SOS at 2:28 pm after taking on water and began to sink. The Taiwan military's rescue centre sent out planes to search for the ship but gave up the search an hour later because they did not find the ship or the crew. On Wednesday, patrol police rescued one crew member who had survived in the chilly sea by clinging to a life saver. Henry Bakarbessy, 44, is recovering at the Keelung Navy Hospital. He said the ship's front part began to take on water Tuesday afternoon and capsized within five minutes. The 27 crew members jumped into the sea holding on to lifebuoys. "At first I could (see) the other crewmen floating in the waves, but gradually we drifted apart until I lost sight of them," Bakarbessy told reporters.
