SIXTY-ONE people are missing, feared dead, after a massive sea and air search was called off last night in the wake of Severe Tropical Storm Becky, one of the deadliest storms to ravage the territory and surrounding waters in recent years. The Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre started yesterday's operation searching for 39 sailors in Hong Kong waters. But by 2 pm the search had extended 11 kilometres into Chinese waters, after Guangdong authorities asked for assistance in looking for 23 men missing from a Chinese ship which sank on Friday. Meanwhile, a fixed wing spotter plane from the Government Flying Service was deployed to look for the 24 men missing from the 6,600-tonne tanker Andersen, which went down near the Chinese-held island of Dongan, 58 km southwest of Cheung Chau. The only survivor to be picked up from the Guangzhou-bound ship has been named as E. P. Orocio, a Filipino, who is recovering on the Global Strider, which is carrying him to Pusan, South Korea. Hopes of finding survivors from a Chinese fishing vessel which sank off Po Toi were raised when some wreckage was spotted a kilometre south of Lamma Island yesterday morning. But an extensive search by marine police and a Government Sikorsky S76 helicopter was unable to find any of the 10 crew. Another four Chinese fishermen were still missing after their boat sank off Wai Ling Ting, 6.5 km south of Cheung Chau. Another fisherman was still unaccounted for after seven fellow crewmen were found among wreckage 160 km south of the territory by a German tanker. By yesterday afternoon the Sikorsky was searching for survivors from the cargo ship, Feng Huan Shan, in Chinese waters 11 km southwest of Tai O. At 5.30 pm, the Sikorsky crew sighted a body floating in the water. On the day of the storm one survivor waspicked up and two bodies discovered, but 23 other crew members have yet to be found. ''It is bad news all the way,'' said Marine Department rescue co-ordinator Trevor Berry. ''We have been searching all day for survivors from the Andersen, whose wreckage was discovered late last night [Friday]. There are still 24 missing and we have had no sighting of bodies or survivors. ''There is no news on the 14 fishermen who went missing.'' He said he was ''not at all hopeful'' of finding any survivors. ''Although I must point out that men have survived in post-typhoon conditions for up to 50 hours, that is on record and happened 10 years ago.'' The search will continue today. In Macau, more than 1,000 people returned to repair their flood-damaged homes yesterday after spending the night in emergency government-run shelters. At the height of the storm, torrential rain flooded the streets knee-deep. The Taipa-to-Coloane bridge and Macau Ferry Terminal were badly damaged. In Hong Kong, a taxi driver was killed and 130 people injured during the 12 hours when the number eight signal was hoisted. A major clean up operation went ahead throughout the territory yesterday. At Shek O beach, lifeguards toiled to dispose of tonnes of debris washed up by the storm. At Deep Water Bay, the beach office had been almost buried by sand thrown up by the winds. Elsewhere, 37 additional refuse collection vehicles swung into action, and 46 calls were received by the Urban Council about fallen trees throughout the territory. An unnamed 1937 typhoon, which killed 11,000 people, was the worst recorded storm in Hong Kong, when the water in Tolo Harbour rose 10 metres above sea level and coastal settlements were flooded and hundreds drowned in the Tai Po area. In 1962 Typhoon Wanda claimed the second highest death toll at 183. More recently, Typhoon Ellen in 1983 claimed the lives of six people. In 1991 Typhooon Fred warranted only a signal number 3 but still claimed 12 lives after an oil barge overturned.
