Crew of four missing after fishing boat hits reef off Taiwan’s southernmost point

A partially sunken fishing was located this evening, but there were no signs of a crew of four, after the captain of the vessel made a mayday call saying his boat was sinking off Cape Eluanbi yesterday evening, May 5.

A Coast Guard cruiser was dispatched to the location of the sinking vessel after the captain of the Pingtung County-based Yushunsheng no. 168 sent a distress call, saying that his ship was taking on water after hitting rocks on a reef 8.3 nautical miles off the coast at Cape Eluanbi at around 11:00 pm, Wednesday, May 5.

Despite precise geo-coordinates provided by the captain of the stricken vessel, Coast Guard personnel found no traces of the ship or crew in the vicinity by the time they arrived.

Earlier this evening, around 20 hours after the original distress call, the fishing vessel Fuyuqing No. 2 reported that it had located the Yushunsheng around 40 kilometers from its original location. The ship was partially sunken, with only its bow above water and there were no signs of the crew.

After the Fuyuqing No. 2 reported the location of the vessel at 6:20 pm, the coast guard requested the captain to continue monitoring the vessel while a coast guard cruiser was dispatched to the location from the Port of Hualien.

The missing crew includes the Taiwanese captain, two Taiwanese crew, including the captain’s son, and an Indonesian national.

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