Skipper severely injured in Taitung fishing boat explosion

A Taiwanese fishing boat captain was severely injured and two crew members sustained minor injuries on Saturday after their boat caught fire and exploded at Xingang Fishing Port (????) in eastern Taiwan's Taitung County, apparently while refueling.

The 43-year-old captain of the Pingtung Donggang-registered Chin Ming Hsing (???) was pulled out of the water by fire department first responders, but initially found to have no heartbeat. After emergency resuscitation restored his breathing, the unconscious man was rushed to hospital, according to the authorities.

Two of the three migrant fishermen on board the vessel suffered minor injuries and were also treated at the hospital, while the third crewman was uninjured.

Police are still investigating the cause of the blast, but crew members said gas leaked when they were refueling the boat and may have caused the explosion.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel