El Faro captain sailed directly into hurricane despite warning

TomoNews US 2015-10-07

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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA-- Rescuers fear the missing cargo ship El Faro is now 15,000 feet below the Atlantic after being caught in Hurricane Joaquin near the Bahamas on Thursday.

NBC News reports that on Tuesday morning, Hurricane Joaquin was just a tropical storm whose path would not interfere with the El Faro's route. By midday, the storm was moving closer to the ship's path. At 5 p.m., an advisory was issued warning that the storm could turn into a hurricane near the Bahamas, where the the ship's path will be directly affected. Despite this, the El Faro set sail for San Juan at 8 p.m.

The ship's captain closely monitored the weather and was not alarmed, communicating to headquarters that conditions were good and his crew was prepared. But by Thursday, the ship sent out a distress call saying it had lost power, was taking on water, and was listed at 15 degrees, according to News 4 Jax. With no propulsion, the El Faro was drifting near the eye of a Category 4 hurricane with winds blowing at 130 miles per hour, seas 50 feet up, and zero visibility, reports Reuters.

The Coast Guard believes the ship has sunk, though the actual vessel has yet to be located. A life ring, a damaged lifeboat, and survival suits, one of which contained human remains, has also been found among debris. Rescuers are still searching for any El Faro mariners that could have survived.

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