One Crew Member Found Dead After Typhoon Flips U.S.-Flagged Cargo Ship Near Northern Marianas
One crew member was found dead after a typhoon flipped a U.S.-flagged cargo ship near the Northern Mariana Islands. The 145-foot U.S.-registered vessel Mariana lost contact on April 16 after reporting engine failure during Super Typhoon Sinlaku.
U.S. Air Force divers used an underwater remotely operated drone to search the vessel interior and recover the body. Additional divers from the Japan Coast Guard examined the ship but did not find other crew members. Coast Guard aircrews continue searching for five missing crewmen and a 12-person life raft around the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. U.S. Coast Guard and partner forces from Guam, Japan and New Zealand have covered more than 99,000 square miles in the search.
Early reports described six crew members missing after the Mariana overturned and focused on the immediate rescue response. Newer reporting has confirmed one fatality, detailed the use of an underwater drone and expanded the known search area, with ABC News providing many of those specifics. Mainstream updates were also shared on social platforms like the CBS News Facebook page, where readers publicly expressed concern and helped circulate alerts and updates.
đ Key Facts
- The 145-foot U.S.-flagged cargo ship Mariana lost contact on April 16 after reporting engine failure during Super Typhoon Sinlaku and subsequently overturned near the Northern Mariana Islands.
- One of six crew members was found dead; U.S. Air Force divers used an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to search the interior of the overturned vessel and recover the body.
- U.S. Coast Guard aircrews continue searching for the five remaining missing crewmen and a 12-person life raft around the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
- Japan Coast Guard divers examined the overturned ship but did not find any other crew members.
- Search operations by the U.S. Coast Guard and partners from Guam, Japan, and New Zealand have covered more than 99,000 square miles.
đ° Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Confirms that U.S. Air Force divers used an underwater remotely operated drone to search the interior of the vessel and recover the body.
- Clarifies that additional divers from the Japan Coast Guard examined the ship but did not find other crew members.
- Specifies that Coast Guard aircrews continue searching for five missing crewmen and a 12-person life raft around the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
- Adds that search operations by the U.S. Coast Guard and partners from Guam, Japan, and New Zealand have covered more than 99,000 square miles.
- Provides timeline detail that contact with the 145-foot U.S.-registered vessel Mariana was lost on April 16 after it reported engine failure during Super Typhoon Sinlaku.