CNA Staff, Oct 21, 2020 / 12:00 pm
The Vatican announced Wednesday that Pope Francis will be sending financial aid to families whose loved ones went missing when their ship sank in September.
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development said Oct. 21 that the pope would send an "economic contribution" to all the families of the 43 seafarers who were shipwrecked Sept. 2 during a typhoon.
The vessel, Gulf Livestock 1, sank 100 nautical miles west of Amami Ōshima Island in southwest Japan amid Typhoon Maysak. The ship was traveling between New Zealand and China with a cargo of 5,867 cattle. The crew consisted of 39 Filipinos, two Australians, and two New Zealanders.
Japan's coast guard rescued three survivors, one of whom died. A dedicated search for the 40 remaining men was called off Sept. 10, but the families continue to hope that they will be found through privately funded search operations.