27 missing after floating crane sinks in south China

GUANGZHOU, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-seven people were missing after a floating crane sank in waters off the coast of south China's Guangdong Province on Saturday morning, according to the provincial maritime search and rescue center Sunday.

As of 12 p.m. Sunday, 38 rescue vessels had been dispatched and rescue aircraft made 14 trips to search for the missing people, covering an area of 700 square nautical miles where waves were three to four meters high.

At 3:50 a.m. Saturday, the floating crane of an offshore wind farm project was found via monitoring system to be in danger after its mooring chain broke while it was taking shelter from typhoon Chaba in waters near the city of Yangjiang.

The floating crane sank later. Three people were rescued at about 12 p.m. Saturday and 27 others fell into water and were missing, according to the provincial maritime search and rescue center.

Chaba, the third typhoon of the year, made landfall in the coastal area of Maoming City, Guangdong, at around 3 p.m. Saturday.

Search and rescue efforts are still underway.