From First Coast News:
“El Faro has 391 containers topside and 294 cars, trucks and trailers below deck. The Coast Guard said that cargo makes the listing problems worse at sea.”
There was a similar freighter that listed and had to be grounded to avoid capsize off Britain several months ago.
IIRC, some of the vehicles below deck jumped/broke their tiedowns and caused the listing to worsen doe to CG shifting.
That ship was not lost, but it was not fighting a hurricane in open water, either..