Taipei – A search for six crew members missing with a cargo ship on Oct. 5 is set to go underwater, rescuers said on Monday as they met family members to tell them that they had yet to see a sign of the workers.
According to the Coast Guard Administration, the Hsin Fa Erh cargo vessel set sail for Matsu, near eastern China’s Fujian province, from Taipei Harbour in northern Taiwan on Friday.
But the crew decided to return to Taipei after encountering strong winds and rough waves.
However, there were reports of an engine breakdown and the ship failed to reach Taipei.
At last contact, it was about 14 nautical miles away from Taipei Harbor. Search operations have been ongoing since on Friday.
The six missing were identified as: 77-year-old capt. Tsai Chu-chung, Wang Wen-fang, Chu Rih-cheng, Yin Chien-chung, Tsai Ching-liang and Indonesian Yana Mulyana, according to the Coast Guard Administration.
During the meeting with family members, officials noted that waves remained strong on Monday.
“So far, we have found no sign of the missing cargo vessel,” Yeh Hsi-chung, Head of the Search Team led by the Maritime Patrol Directorate General, said.
Hsi-chung said the rescuers had seen no debris or fuel oil spilled in the waters.