A Chinese mainland fishing boat with six crew members aboard capsized on Thursday in waters near Kinmen, a cross-Straits joint search and rescue effort is underway.
According to China Central Television (CCTV), mainland fishing boat "Minlongyu 61222" sank at 2:58 am in waters near the Dongding Island. Two fishmen were rescued while four remained missing as of press time. Taiwan-based media claimed that two mainland fishermen are dead, two had been rescued, and two are still missing.
According to reports, Taiwan's rescue command center received the incident report at 6 am that a mainland fishing boat had capsized 15 NM (27 kilometers) southwest of Kinmen.
Following reporting of the incident, the mainland dispatched helicopters, sea rescue vessels and patrol ships to conduct search and rescue missions within a radius of 37.4 km (20 NM) from where the ship sank.
The fishermen were reportedly from Zhangzhou, East China's Fujian Province. The cause of the incident is still unclear so far.
Chen Fu-hai, the regional leader of Kinmen, ordered relevant departments to stay focused on the incident and provide necessary support to mainland. He also expressed wishes that mainland fishermen would be safely rescued, according to media report.
The cross-Straits joint rescue operation came a month after a brutal expulsion of a mainland fishing boat by the Taiwan coast guard which caused the deaths of two mainland fishermen on February 14. Taiwan authorities have not yet given a convincing account of the process and the truth of the incident.
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