Ministry of National Defense officials and Navy Command Headquarters confirmed one fatality and three persons injured aboard the Hsiang Li Sheng (翔利昇), a Taiwanese fishing boat, when the vessel was struck by a missile in waters southeast of Penghu County in the Taiwan Strait.
Fishing boat captain Huang Wen-chung (黃文忠) was killed when the supersonic Hsiung Feng III missile penetrated the stern of the vessel. The missile did not explode on impact and sank into the water about 40 nautical miles (74.1km) from its launch site at Zuoying Military Harbor in Kaohsiung.
The captain’s son, Huang Ming-chuan (黃明泉), as well as a Vietnamese crew member and a Filipino crew member, sustained minor injuries and were treated at a local hospital.
Photo: CNA
The vessel was towed back to Kaohsiung Harbor with the help of coast guard patrol ships.
The stern of the fishing boat has a hole where the missile penetrated the vessel, causing the boat’s electrical wiring box to explode.
Huang Ming-chuan said they were trawling for shrimp about 16 nautical miles west of Chimei Islet, adding that at the time of the incident, he and two crew members were sleeping while his father piloted the ship.
Photo: CNA
“We were woken by a loud explosion and I saw the ship’s ceiling collapse. I was hit by some debris and cut, then the cabin caught fire,” he said.
Huang Ming-chuan said he went to check the pilot room and found his father dead, having apparently suffered head injuries.
He said that he used a satellite telephone to call his family in Kaohsiung, saying: “The ship has exploded, and father has died. Now the ship is sinking, get help to save us quickly.”
At a news conference called by Naval Command Headquarters, officials said the missile that hit the fishing ship did not explode on impact, because it was designed to attack warships and explode on impact with a metal hull. As the Hsiang Li Sheng is made of wood, fiberglass and other lightweight materials, the missile penetrated the stern without exploding.
Naval officials said the electronic signals emitted by the fishing boat might have caused the missile’s radar guidance system to lock onto it as a target.
The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office has opened an investigation into the incident to determine if there is a case for criminal prosecution.
“The Ministry of National Defense sincerely apologizes for the incident that caused the death of the captain and injured the other crew members,” ministry spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said, adding that the ministry has also asked the navy to provide compensation and assistance to the families of the victims.
Meanwhile, during a legislative floor session yesterday, Premier Lin Chuan (林全) expressed sadness over the death of the captain and regret over the incident.
He said he has asked his deputy to meet with the victim’s family.
Vice Premier Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) traveled to Kaohsiung on behalf of the premier to comfort the deceased captain’s family and express his condolences.
“First of all, I would like to offer my condolences to the Huang family on behalf of Premier Lin Chuan, and show the government cares about this accident,” he said. “The premier has asked the military to investigate how the accident occurred as soon as possible.”
“The government will shoulder 100 percent of the responsibility when the investigation is completed,” he added.
Additional reporting by Loa Iok-sin and CNA
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique