Rescue efforts continued yesterday for three of six crewmen still missing at sea after their fishing vessel sank off the northern coast of the Philippines.
Three of the six crew members were rescued late on Thursday night after they were found drifting by an Air Force helicopter near the site of the accident.
The Taiwanese captain, 40 year-old Tsai Ching-lung (蔡清隆), and two Indonesian crew have been returned to Pingtung County, were they are undergoing medical examinations.
Meanwhile, the search continues for the remaining crew members.
COUNTERPARTS
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said that Air Force search and rescue teams along with Taiwanese Coast Guard vessels are working with their Philippine counterparts in an ongoing search for the remaining crew members.
According to Philippine Coast Guard authorities, the Okinawa-flagged boat sank early on Thursday morning after it was battered by rough waters and ran aground 540km north of Manila and 200km south of the southernmost tip of Taiwan.
Two SOS calls sent out early on Thursday by the captain said that there was a large gash under the vessel and that the crew was preparing to abandon ship.
The fishing boat originally left Pingtung County’s Donggang harbor on Wednesday and was expected to return on April 27.
ILLEGAL FISHING
Media reports from Manila say there are concerns that the boat was involved in illegal fishing. The reports quoted regional police Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian as saying that local authorities suspect the fishermen were operating illegally when the accident took place.
A story filed by DPA that all six of the crewmen had been rescued could not be confirmed by press time.
The article said that one of the crew was rescued by helicopter and another five by ship, putting it at odds with reports from MOFA.
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