A 17-year-old surnamed Chang (張) was rescued by the crew of a fishing vessel from the waters off Keelung at about 4pm yesterday, 21 hours after she fell off an inflatable banana boat at 7pm on Monday night.
Keelung-registered fishing boat Yi Ta No. 68 found Chang floating in the sea about 3km from where she was hurled into the water when her inflatable boat, with three others onboard, was hit by waves.
The inflatable capsized about 20m from shore and the three men onboard managed to swim ashore on their own.
Over the past 21 hours, two high tides and two low tides left Chang drifting back and forth on a south-north line, said Su Chen-yi (蘇振義), head of an offshore flotilla in Tamsui (淡水), New Taipei City.
Chang was able to stay afloat because she wore a well-fitting life jacket, while the average temperature of the water was as high as 25?C, before she drifted into a lane through which fishing vessels pass, Su said.
Provided with food, towels and clothing after being taken onshore at 5pm, Chang thanked everyone and phoned her family, before being taken to hospital for a checkup.
Additional reporting by CNA
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