5 ships run aground off Kaohsiung in heavy rain

Five ships run aground off Kaohsiung in heavy rain
Chen Chi-fong and Flor Wang 2018/08/23 http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201808230024.aspx

Kaohsiung, Aug. 23 (CNA) Five foreign cargo ships ran aground off Kaohsiung on Thursday after gusty winds and torrential rain began to batter the southern half of Taiwan around 11:00 a.m., according to the Coast Guard Administration (CGA).

The 66 crew members on the five vessels, four of which are registered in Panama and one in Palau, were all safe, the CGA said.

It said, however, that rough seas were making it difficult to carry out rescue operations.

According to the CGA, one of the stranded vessels, the Chang Long 68, has suffered severe damage and its 10 crew members have decided to abandon ship.

The National Rescue Command Center are slated to launch a rescue effort at high tide around 7:17 p.m. to get the 10 crew members off the boat, according to Port of Kaohsiung, Taiwan International Ports Corporation.

The CGA confirmed later in the day that the 10 crew members had been rescued from the Chang Long and were sent to a temporary shelter in Kaohsiung City.

Heavy rains have been pounding Kaohsiung and Pingtung since Thursday morning when a tropical depression made landfall there.

The Central Weather Bureau said the depression is moving offshore toward the north but central and southern Taiwan are likely to see continued heavy rainfall Friday.