China: a ship cut in two by a typhoon, only three occupants out of 30 could be rescued

Twenty-seven people are missing after their ship was cut in half by a typhoon in the South China Sea on Saturday, the Hong Kong government's air support service said.

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The engineering vessel was 160 nautical miles southwest of Hong Kong when it was caught in Storm Chaba;

it “

,” said the Hong Kong Government Flying Service.

Help was dispatched to the scene after being notified around 07:25 local time (23:25 GMT Friday).

Three of the 30 crew members were rescued at 3 p.m. local time 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.

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

Typhoon Chaba formed in the central South China Sea and made landfall Saturday afternoon in southern China's Guangdong province.

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

Rescuers will expand the search area "

" and extend the operation into the night if conditions allow.