Three more bodies of migrant fishers missing after the Nanfangao Bridge (南方澳橋) collapsed on Tuesday morning, crushing three fishing boats, were found yesterday, bringing the death toll to five, with one person still missing, authorities said yesterday.
Two bodies were recovered from the waters near the collapsed bridge in Suao Township (蘇澳) at about 11pm on Tuesday, the Yilan Fire Bureau said in a statement.
A third body was found at about 1am yesterday, the fourth at 8:40am and the fifth at 2:27pm, it said.
Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times
The victims were identified as 29-year-old Wartono, 32-year-old Ersona and 28-year-old Mohamad Domir, all Indonesians, and two Filipinos, 44-year-old Andree Serencio Abregana and 46-year-old George Impang, the Yilan Emergency Operation Center said.
The bodies were taken to the Su’ao Branch of Taipei Veterans General Hospital.
The search for the last missing fisher, believed to be Filipino Romulo Escalicas, is continuing, the center said.
Taiwan International Ports Corp (TIPC, 台灣港務) plans to give compensation of NT$5 million (US$160,963) to the families of each fisher who died, TIPC chief secretary Lin Chien-ming (林健明) said.
The 10 people who were injured — including nine migrant fishers and one Taiwanese driver — are to receive NT$10,000 to NT$36,000, Lin said.
Tseng Yen-pu (曾彥博), a representative of Sang Yi International Co, the fishers’ broker, said they were not covered by group accident insurance.
Meanwhile, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) said that its top priority is to recover the remaining missing man.
Some of the victims had relatives working in Taiwan, who went to the scene of the accident, the office said.
The families would also receive financial assistance from the Philippine government, and MECO would assist in the repatriation of the remains, it added.
Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei Representative Didi Sumedi said that his office was still trying to establish contact with the families of killed and injured in the collapse to offer assistance.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday offered its condolences for the deceased to the Philippine and Indonesian offices.
The ministry and its overseas offices would offer assistance needed by the bereaved families, it said, adding that it has been in close contact with the governments of the Philippines and Indonesia as well as the domestic agencies involved in the rescue mission.
The military has deployed a floating platform to help workers remove debris and try to extract two of the boats from under collapsed sections of the bridge. The third boat was pulled out on Tuesday.
Additional reporting by Lin Chia-nan
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
RSS