Nearly 30 missing in shipwreck in South China Sea

Ship is sinking after breaking in two.

Twenty-seven people are missing after their ship was cut in half by a typhoon in the South China Sea on Saturday south, the Hong Kong government announced.

The engineering vessel was 160 nautical miles southwest of Hong Kong when it was caught in Storm Chaba; it sustained significant damage and broke into two pieces, the Hong Kong Government Air Service said.

Rescue personnel were rushed to the scene after being notified at approximately 7:25 a.m. (local time).

Three of the 30 crew members were rescued at 3:00 p.m. and taken to hospital, authorities said.

Footage provided by Hong Kong authorities shows a person being airlifted as waves crash onto the deck of the half-submerged vessel.

Rescuers hoist a crew member from the sinking ship into a helicopter.

According to the three survivors, other members of the The crew may have been swept away by the waves before the first helicopter arrived, a Hong Kong government statement said.

Typhoon Chaba formed in the center of the South China Sea and made landfall on Saturday afternoon in Guangdong Province, southern China.

The location of the vessel was recorded winds of 144 kilometers per hour and waves reaching 10 meters high, authorities said.

Rescuers will expand the search area due to the large name re of missing persons and extend the operation into the night if conditions allow.