22 Chinese seamen on Panama freighter missing in seawater off Taiwan

QINGDAO, Aug. 16 -- Shipping authorities in

east China's Qingdao City confirmed Sunday 22 seamen from a local company

working on a Panama-registered freighter had been missing in seawater east off

Taiwan upon impact of typhoon Morakot.

Search for the seamen is underway, said Qingdao City

Administration for Port and Shipping Business in a press release Sunday.

The freighter, named "Changying", was caught by

typhoon Morakoton Aug. 8 when it traveled from Indonesia to Taiwan. The seamen,

employed by Datong International Shipping Management Company Ltd. based in

Qingdao, a port city in eastern Shandong Province, could not be reached ever

since then, according to the press release.

Datong International Shipping Management Company Ltd.

has reported the shipwreck to the Qingdao City Administration which immediately

mobilized rescue operation.

Relatives of the seamen were also informed of the

accident.

Qingdao City has set up a working group to coordinate

all sectors to search for the missing seamen and deal with matters arising from

the shipwreck.