An Indonesian sailor survived a shark attack after being rescued yesterday after the Taiwanese fishing boat he was on apparently caught fire in the East China Sea, but four other crewmen are still missing, officials said yesterday.
The Coast Guard Administration said it was informed by its Japanese counterpart at noon on Saturday that the 26-tonne Cheng Tsai Li was drifting 35 nautical miles (65km) northeast of Miyako-jima, an island in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture.
According to information provided by the Japan Coast Guard, the ship was partially destroyed and showed evidence of a fire, the administration added.
The Indonesian sailor was rescued by the crew of another Taiwanese fishing boat, it said.
“He had sustained several shark bites,” Coast Guard Administration Secretariat Director Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said.
No details of the attack or the man’s injuries were available.
Two coastguard vessels from Taiwan and two from Japan are searching for the missing crew: a Taiwanese skipper, a Taiwanese sailor and two Indonesian sailors.
“As of now, we have had no luck. We’re racing against time as the weather is cold,” Hsieh said, adding that the cause of the accident was not yet known.
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