Hurricane Joaquin: Fears for 33 people on board cargo ship lost at sea

The US Coast Guard is searching for a missing cargo ship with 33 crew members on board after it went missing during Hurricane Joaquin.

The 735ft ship El Faro disappeared north of the Bahamas after departing Florida for San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Officials said the crew included 31 Americans and two from Poland.

See also: Scientists tagging sharks to help predict hurricanes

NBC News reports that 850 square nautical miles were covered in the search operation on Friday and the effort will continue in the early morning on Saturday.

"There are a number of possible reasons for the loss of communications, among them the increasing severity of Hurricane Joaquin," president of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico, which owns El Faro, Tim Nolan said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the individuals and their families."

See also: Scientists find 'black holes' in the sea

According to Local10, a C-130 Hercules Coast Guard plane flew low to the water to search for the ship.

Coast Guard Captain Mark Fedor said: "They're flying down at 2,000 feet, which is pushing - absolutely pushing - the operational envelope of what they're supposed to fly, pushing their safety limits, to try to lay some eyes on this vessel."

The cargo ship went missing when Hurricane Joaquin was a Category 4 storm. It has now been downgraded to a Category 3 storm.

Weather forecasters say it has passed its peak but Hurricane Joaquin continues to batter the central Bahamas with strong winds, storm flooding and torrential rainfall.

Related articles

Eight missing after ship sinks off Scotland

Video: Dramatic rescue of crew members from HMS Bounty, two missing