Missing Crew Members Are Alive in Capsized Cargo Ship

Rescuers looking for four missing crew members on an overturned cargo ship tapped on the hull and heard the best possible sound in return—someone tapped back. Now the Coast Guard is working on getting the four men out, reports the Wall Street Journal. "The early indication is they are on board and OK," Lt. Lloyd Heflin tells the AP. The South Korean ship carrying automobiles capsized off the coast of Georgia on Sunday, and the Coast Guard previously rescued 19 crew members.

The four remaining crew members are believed to be trapped in the engine room of the Golden Ray. The ship flipped shortly after leaving the Port of Brunswick in Georgia, though the reason is unclear. “The most common cause of a ship capsizing is cargo instability,” a naval architect tells the Journal. “If cargo is not properly secured it could move to one side, the vessel loses its balance and lies on its side.” An onboard fire of some kind, now extinguished, has further added to the difficulty of the rescue. (More cargo ships stories.)