42 sailors and 5,867 cows feared dead after ship capsizes in storm

Only a single survivor was pulled from the water after a ship loaded with thousands of cattle capsized off the coast of Japan on wednesday. The Guardian reports that Sareno Edvarodo, 45, was spotted waving in the water by a plane likewise risking the seas and skies during Typhoon Maysak.

According to Edvarodo, the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said. Crew were instructed to put on life jackets as the ship capsized, he said, adding that he had jumped into the water and had not seen any other crew members before he was rescued.

The Japanese Coast Guard posted dramatic images of Edvarodo being pulled from dark and choppy seas. The AP reports that the weather has passed with no further survivors found. In addition to the dozens of humans likely killed in the disaster, the New York Times notes that ships containing vast numbers of live animals are already mired in controversy.

The episode raises fresh questions about transporting livestock by sea, a practice that has been criticized for its treatment of animals....Activists say the vessels are usually converted cargo ships that do not meet animal welfare standards, and that the livestock face heat stress, overcrowding and the spread of disease during the journeys.

"This is a high-risk trade that puts the lives of animals at risk which is why the export of live animals must be banned," Marianne Macdonald, the campaigns manager for SAFE, a New Zealand-based animal welfare group, said in a statement on Thursday.