Marielle Chunanon, the partner of the ship captain of the missing cargo ship in Japan, revealed to Reuters some of their last conversations before they went off radar on Wednesday.
Her partner Dante Addug was the captain Gulf Livestock 1 that reportedly sank in Southern Japan due to Typhoon Maysak.
The couple has four children and Addug was set to come home next month to meet his 4-month- old son for the first time.
According to the report, Addug informed his partner that the typhoon has intensified and caused the ship’s engine to fail.
“The typhoon is so strong up to now. Here I am praying for the typhoon to stop,” addug told Chunanon in a text message.
The ship was bound for China with at least 43 crew members on board—39 of them are Filipinos.
Chunanon said that she learned about the ship’s fate from posts of other crew members’ family.
“My body was trembling that time,” she said. “Even if they lose internet connection, he finds a way to message me. I’m getting nervous while the time is running out,” she told Reuters.
The Department of Foreign Affairs announced that the Japanese Coast Guard has temporarily suspended its search and rescue operations for the missing cargo ship in Southern Japan.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), through the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo and the Philippine Consulate General in Osaka, reports that in light of the expected arrival of Typhoon 10 in Japan, the Japanese Coast Guard has temporarily suspended its search and rescue operations,” the department said in its statement.
The DFA added that the two Filipino survivors have been in contact with their respective families.
