1 Dead, 5 Missing After Fishing Boats Capsize Near Taiwan

Taipei: One person has been confirmed dead and five others remained missing as of Friday morning after two fishing boats capsized north of Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said.

According to Focus Taiwan, the body of fishing boat Yu Shan No. 36's captain, surnamed Wang, was recovered at around 9 p.m. Thursday by a CGA patrol vessel and brought to its base at Taipei Port. The CGA reported receiving information Thursday morning that the ship had capsized 14 nautical miles northeast of Tamsui in New Taipei on Wednesday night.

Of the eight other crew members on board Yu Shan No. 36, two Indonesian crew members remain unaccounted for, while six were rescued by nearby fishing boats and taken to Fuji Fishing Harbor on Thursday, the CGA stated.

In a related incident, another Taiwanese fishing boat, the Lih Fa No. 168, capsized 35 nautical miles northwest of Keelung Harbor on Thursday, according to the CGA. Three of the six crew members aboard were rescued by nearby vessels, while three crew members of Taiwanese, Chinese, and Indonesian nationality remain missing.

Joint sea and air search and rescue operations are ongoing for those missing, the CGA confirmed.