TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Six fishers were rescued from the sea after a fishing boat caught fire and eventually sank on Thursday (May 11).
According to the National Airborne Service Corps (NASC), the boat caught fire early in the morning nearly 180 kilometers northeast of Taiwan. After NASC received a request from the National Rescue Command Center, it deployed a helicopter from Songshan Airport to rescue the six crew members who had reportedly abandoned ship.
The helicopter arrived at 8:52 a.m. and found the crew waiting to be rescued on a lifeboat. It was joined by a Black Hawk helicopter sent by the air force 10 minutes later.
In a video, a NASC rescuer can be seen hoisting a fisher from the lifeboat. The fishing boat was still burning when the NASC left the scene, having rescued everyone.
The fishers included one Taiwanese and five Indonesians who were given clothes for changing after taking a hot shower.
UDN reported that though coast guards had sent a vessel to try to put out the fire, the fishing boat still sank at around 1 p.m.
(Facebook, National Airborne Service Corps video)
