Freighter sinks off Israeli shore; survivors rescued
Five crewmembers saved after cargo ship on way to Haifa port sinks 80 km off shore. Four lightly injured, one transfered to intensive care
The Salla 2 cargo ship, bound for the Haifa port, sank Friday night in stormy waters just 80 km off shore of its destination. However, at least six of the 13 crewmembers who went missing have been rescued.
One person was rescued earlier by NATO forces and taken to Beirut. Another five survivors were rescued by IDF forces and were expected to be taken to Haifa's Rambam Hospital.
There were reportedly no Israelis on board the ship.
Air Firce helicopter lands at hospital (Photo: Avisag Shear Yeshuv)
Ynet has learned that at around 2 am Israel received a distress signal from the freighter, which until recently belonged to Turkey and bore a Togolese flag, in response to which it alerted NATO ships sailing in the area.
One NATO ship initially rescued a crew member who was found floating on a life rafts. Other empty life rafts were seen floating in the area.
Earlier, search and rescue teams including the Israeli coast guard continued to search for survivors despite the difficult weather conditions.
4 lightly injured, one in intensive care
The last five crew members rescued, were spotted with the help of floating sea blinkers. Rescue forces said members of unit 669 pulled the crew members on to the helicopters, and that wreckage from the drowned ship could be seen floating in the water.
Head of the emergency room at Rambam hospital in Haifa Dr. Shlomo Israelit said that five survivors from the drowned SALLA2 ship arrived at the hospital in moderate condition. According to Dr.Israelit, Four out of the five recovered quickly while the fifth person suffered from hypothermia and was transferred to intensive care.
Dr.Israelit further noted that the survivors described their ordeal, and said they jumped into the water with life jackets and thermal suits that helped retain their body temperature.
The five said that the strong winds caused the rescue boats to float away, and they were forced to stay in the freezing waters some 19 hours.
"Some saw their friends drown right before their eyes," added Dr.Israelit.
The ship was destined for the Haifa port, and sources say it was carrying small amounts of commercial cargo.
