A 25-year-old Mount Isa man is one of two Australians on a livestock ship, that capsized off the coast of Japan on September 2.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Lukas Orda had recently landed a job as a veterinarian in the live export sector, and according to his family was onboard the Gulf Livestock 1 ship that capsized after losing an engine in stormy weather.
Mr Orda went to Good Shepherd Catholic College in Mount Isa, studied at James Cook University and recently worked as an equine vet on the Gold Coast.
Dr Orda moved to Australia from Germany in his teens and had also worked in Goulburn Valley in Victoria. He had recently become a father.
Agforce's cattle leader Will Wilson said Dr Orda's family, friends, community and work colleagues were in the thoughts of all in the cattle industry at the moment.
"Come daylight hours, we are sure the best teams are out there searching and we hope Australia is offering whatever help it can," Mr Wilson said.
Mount Isa Catholic priest Father Mick Lowcock said he knew Mr Orda as an outgoing, gifted valuable member of the community.
"It's really devastating, particularly for his family here," Father Lowcock said.
"Both of his parents worked at the local hospital and were well known in the community.
"Mount Isa is rallying around his parents hoping their son is found soon."
Father Lowcock said Lukas had a wife and six-month-old baby.
"He would have been 26 on November 25," he said.
"He was excited to start this job only a few months ago, he thought was a good gig. It would have been a great experience for him.
"Hopefully they just find him."
The Gulf Livestock 1 send a distress call from the East China Sea at 1.20am on Wednesday September 2 as heavy rains and winds caused by Typhoon Maysak battered the region.
The ship was carrying 43 crew members including two from Australia, two from New Zealand and 39 from the Philippines.
The 140-metre-long vessel capsized after losing an engine in stormy weather.
Typhoon Maysak was heading towards the Korean peninsula with wind speeds of up to 215km/h on Wednesday night.
"It is expected that the whole country will be affected by typhoons from the far south of Jeju Island to the day after tomorrow," the Korea Meteorological Administration said on Tuesday.
A second storm, Haishen, with wind speeds equivalent to a category four hurricane is expected to hit Japan's Kyushu region by Sunday.
While you are here, subscribe to our weekly email delivered to your inbox every Tuesday and Friday.