New Delhi: An Indian Naval aircraft reached Philippines Capital Manila to search for 10 Indians missing after their cargo ship “Emerald Star” sank in the Pacific off the Philippines last week, the MEA has said, adding that the Japanese Coast Guard is also searching for the missing people. Many of the crew are from Tamil Nadu.
External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted, “There were 26 Indians on board the ship Emerald Star. Amongst them, 16 have been rescued and 10 are still missing. Indian Embassy in Japan has informed me that a helicopter and 2 patrol vessels of Japan Coast Guard are engaged in search/rescue operations. Indian Navy P81 (maritime surveillance aircraft) has reached Manila and has also joined the search and rescue operation for missing Indians.”
MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had earlier said, “Five Indian crew members of ‘Emerald Star’ are in Irene, Philippines. Our Mission is bringing them to Manila before repatriation to India. Officials from our Guangzhou Consulate visited the injured Indian crew of ‘Emerald Star’ in a Xiamen hospital. 11 crew members are in Xiamen. Search for missing 10 crew members still ongoing using aircraft and vessels. We will keep posting regular updates on further developments.”
According to news agency reports, the 33,205-tonne cargo ship Emerald Star with 26 Indian nationals on board sank off Okinawa on Friday. While 16 Indians were rescued, a search for the missing crew members was launched by Indian missions in the Philippines, Japan and China to locate them. The vessel reportedly sent a distress signal early on Tuesday as the Hong Kong-registered vessel was sailing some 280 kilometres east of the northern tip of the Philippines.
