Searchers find body of 1 of 6 missing crew members from ship that overturned during typhoon

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Authorities have found the body of one of the six missing crew members from a cargo ship that overturned near the Northern Mariana Islands during a typhoon.

U.S. Air Force divers “used an underwater remotely operated drone to search the interior of the vessel” and recovered the body Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a news release.

Additional divers from the Japan Coast Guard further examined the ship. They did not find any additional crew members, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

“Coast Guard aircrews continue to search for the five missing crewmen and an orange 12-person life raft in the vicinity of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,” the news release said.

The guard and partnering agencies from Guam, Japan and New Zealand have covered more than 99,000 square miles (256,000 square kilometers), the guard said this week.

The crew of the ship, called the Mariana, notified the U.S. Coast Guard on April 15 that the 145-foot (44-meter) U.S.-registered vessel lost its starboard engine during Super Typhoon Sinlaku and needed assistance. The guard said it lost contact with the ship the next day.

“Our hearts are with the families of the Mariana crew members and the communities impacted by this tragic incident,” Cmdr. Preston Hieb, search and rescue mission coordinator, Coast Guard Oceania District, said in a statement. “We continue to search in close coordination with our partners, using all available resources to support the ongoing response.”

Heavy wind hindered initial search efforts, but the overturned ship was eventually spotted Saturday about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Pagan, one of the islands that make up the Northern Marianas, which is a U.S. territory.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday that debris including a partially submerged inflatable life raft was spotted about 110 miles (177 kilometers) from the ship.

Super Typhoon Sinlaku battered the Northern Mariana Islands, causing wind damage and flooding.