MANILA, Philippines — A search was underway Tuesday for 20 crew members missing after their cargo ship ran aground while seeking shelter from rough waters churned up by a typhoon, the coast guard said.
The crew abandoned the vessel laden with nickel ore on Monday after it hit the shore at Malimono town on the southern island of Mindanao.
Eighteen of them were still in a life raft when contact was lost on Tuesday, coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said. The whereabouts of the other two are not known.
“We had contact until this morning while their life raft was drifting. Search and rescue teams are having a hard time due to strong waves,” said Balilo, adding an aerial search w…
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