TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Penghu County on Thursday (Nov. 3) reported that 40 migrant Indonesian fishermen have gone missing, the largest exodus of its kind in the history of the outlying islands.

Most of the missing migrant workers arrived in Penghu less than a month ago. Each of them was assumed to have fled with about NT$150,000 (US$4,649) in cash, including their monthly salary and money borrowed from others, wrote Liberty Times.

The incident occurred when multiple fishing vessels were forced to berth at ports amid adverse weather conditions. Unlike Chinese fishermen, Indonesian workers are not subject to nighttime roll calls and are therefore allowed more freedom of movement.

The crew members’ disappearance was not discovered until the ships were cleared to leave the ports. Missing fishermen were reported at ports in Xiyu, Baisha, and Magong townships.

Employers of the migrant workers suspect they have traveled to the main island of Taiwan for job opportunities, which abound due to a labor shortage.

Imported workers are the main source of labor for Penghu’s fishing industry due to an aging demographic in the county as youths leave. The introduction of Indonesian fishermen was halted during peak COVID-19 and resumed earlier this year. Currently, there are about 2,000 foreign fishermen employed in Penghu, according to the National Immigration Agency.