The US Coast Guard has confirmed that four missing crew of the Golden Ray are alive and has launched a rescue operation to retrieve the men, trapped inside the cargo ship that caught fire and capsized off the coast of Georgia.
Rescuers made contact with the missing crew members on Monday morning, and are developing an “extraction plan,” the Coast Guard said in a series of tweets, adding “this is a slow, safe process.”
Before attempting a rescue, however, the Coast Guard first drilled holes in the vessel to deliver supplies to the trapped seamen, the agency said.
#BreakingNews All 4 #GoldenRay crew members are confirmed alive. Conditions unknown. Response crews will drill a hole to deliver supplies. #HappeningNow
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) September 9, 2019
The Coast Guard also released footage of the rescue effort, in which workers can be seen on the exposed hull of the capsized merchant vessel.
#BreakingNews Salvage crews have have made contact with crew members in the #GoldenRay. Conditions unknown. Extraction being planned. #HappeningNow pic.twitter.com/wPdKfgqBdN
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) September 9, 2019
Salvage crews could also be seen assessing the ship’s hull for “possible entry” in another Coast Guard clip posted earlier on Monday morning.
Salvage crews are currently assessing the #GoldenRay hull for possible entry. #HappeningNow pic.twitter.com/PNTHSR03aF
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) September 9, 2019
READMORE: Four missing, 20 rescued after cargo ship capsizes off Georgia coast
The Golden Ray, a 656-foot vehicle carrier operated for the Korean manufacturer Hyundai, capsized on Sunday after a massive fire erupted on board, forcing its crew to abandon ship. Twenty crew members were rescued after the accident, but four remained trapped inside, unaccounted for until Monday morning. Several were injured in the accident, the cause of which is still under investigation.
.@USCG and salvage crews are currently trying to access the #GoldenRay near #StSimonsSound via rescue helicopter. #HappeningNow #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/1Uhr67peSM
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) September 9, 2019
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Source: RT