Fishing boat capsizes off Ilan County

One man was confirmed dead and four were missing after a fishing boat capsized near the Ilan coast yesterday morning, while one man was saved from a watery grave by fellow fishermen.

The 44-tonne fishing vessel Ta Shun Hsin (大順興號) was operating in rough weather early yesterday with another fishing boat, the Chin Zai Lung No. 186 (金再隆).

The two boats were jointly towing a fishing net.

However, at around 8am the unforgiving sea overwhelmed the Ta Shun Hsin, and the vessel capsized in the heaving swell more than 6km off Toucheng (頭城), a coastal town in Ilan County, the Coast Guard Administration said.

The six men aboard were thrown into the merciless seas as their craft began to slowly fill with water and sink into the deep.

Upon receiving a distress call, the Coast Guard Administration rushed into action, dispatching two cutters and a helicopter in an effort to locate the doomed boat and pull its crew from the turbulent brine.

One crewman, a Chinese fisherman identified only by his surname, Huang, was rescued by the Chin Zai Lung No. 186.

But for one man, at least, help arrived too late: The coast guard pulled the body of the boat's captain and owner, Chien Chin-tsai (簡進財), 50, from the waves.

The coast guard later brought Chien's body ashore at Dashunxing fishing port.

Four men were still missing as of press time -- one Filipino and three Chinese fishermen.

But hope was dying out that they might be saved. In cold, rough weather, even a person well-versed in open water survival techniques can only survive a few hours before succumbing to hypothermia or drowning.

The coast guard said it was not optimistic about the chances of survival for the remaining crewman, but would continue rescue efforts nonetheless, even as night fell on the chilly seas.

More rain and further foul weather are expected for the area.

Meanwhile, Chien's body was flown to Ilan for a dismal homecoming, after family members traveled to Dashunxing to identify him.

They said that Chien must have been fouled in the net or ropes when his ship went down, because he was an accomplished swimmer who would have been able to save himself if he had been thrown clear as the wreck went down.

The coast guard reiterated its foul-weather warnings for the area, urging fishermen to use caution if operating in the areas surrounding Ilan County.