TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A search is underway for a Filipino fishing boat crew member who apparently fell overboard off the coast of Penghu County on Tuesday (Sept. 6).

That evening, a Filipino deckhand of the fishing boat Hsieh Fu Shun (協富順) suddenly went missing and is believed to have accidentally fallen overboard while returning to port about 0.5 nautical miles south of Penghu's Wai'an Fishing Harbor, according to a Coast Guard Administration (CGA) press release. At 5 p.m., the CGA received a call that a 55-year-old Filipino sailor had gone missing.

The CGA immediately dispatched patrol boats on duty to search the waters south of Wai'an Fishing Harbor and Xiyu Township, while aerial reconnaissance planes searched by air. As of noon on Tuesday, four patrol boats, 32 CGA officers, and two aircraft became involved in the search, but they have yet to find a trace of the missing deckhand.

The Coast Guard stated that sea and air units will continue to search for the missing mariner within the golden 72 hours for rescue. According to the CGA, there were four people aboard the Hsieh Fu Shun before the accident occurred, including the Taiwanese captain, surnamed Hsu (許), and one Indonesian and two Filipino crew members.

Coast Guard officers search for missing sailor. (CGA photo)