Two people remain missing and five have been rescued after a fishing boat caught fire last night, 90 nautical miles (167km) northeast of Pengjia Islet (彭佳嶼) and 120 nautical miles from Keelung Harbor.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) received an alert at 6pm yesterday and dispatched the 600-tonne Wanli patrol vessel and two patrol boats, which arrived at the scene around midnight.
The Keelung and Aodi coast guards remained at the scene as of 9am this morning to continue search-and-rescue operations with the assistance of a Japanese patrol vessel.
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration via CNA
According to rescue personnel, the two missing are an Indonesian crew member and the Taiwanese captain, surnamed Chien (簡), aged 41.
The remaining five Indonesian crew members were rescued by the nearby vessel Shun Ji 168, witnesses said.
Despite sustaining multiple burns, they remain in a stable condition, they added.
A patrol boat has transferred them back to Taiwan proper for medical treatment.
The fishing boat San Xie Shun 26 departed on Wednesday last week from Huanggang Fishing Port (磺港漁港) in New Taipei City’s Jinshan District (金山).
The fire is suspected to have started in the engine room and caused severe damage to the vessel.
Additional reporting by CNA
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