A body recovered during a search and rescue mission following the discovery of a capsized Taiwanese fishing boat, off the coast of a southern Japanese island, has been determined to be that of the Taiwanese captain, the head of Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council said Tuesday.
The search for the six Indonesian crew members onboard the “Hsin Chang Fa No. 88” is ongoing, Kuan Bi-ling (???) told local media before attending a legislative session.
The captain’s body was previously misidentified as one of the crew because the identification documents of a crew member were recovered from the remains, Kuan added.
After the body was transported back to Taiwan, the fingerprints were collected, confirming the body to be that of the captain, she said.
The 53-ton boat, which was registered in New Taipei’s Ruifang District, departed from Badouzi Fishing Port in Keelung, northern Taiwan, at 11 p.m. on Feb. 27, according to the Coast Guard Administration (CGA).
The boat was spotted by a Japanese coastguard helicopter on March 5 drifting upside down 150 kilometers north of Japan’s Ishigaki island, which is about 320 km from eastern Taiwan, it said.
After a search mission was launched by the Japanese coastguard, the captain’s body was recovered Monday morning, according to the CGA, which transported the remains back to Taiwan Monday night.
Prosecutors are working with forensic pathologists to determine whether there is any evidence the captain’s death could have been the result of foul play, according to the Taiwan Keelung District Prosecutors Office.
Meanwhile, the brother of the boat owner, Tu Ming-kun (???), told CNA that four divers were dispatched to the area on Tuesday morning to help look for survivors and evaluate any damage to the vessel.
The divers are scheduled to arrive on the scene by noon Wednesday, he said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel