TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The captain of a ship who went to catch shellfish and crabs five days ago was found dead at sea near Yilan County, reports said Saturday (April 20).
Chang (張), 76, left port on a 1.1-ton fishing trawler on Monday (April 15), per the Liberty Times. When he failed to return home that evening his relatives raised the alarm.
They sailed another ship out to an area where they knew he often went fishing. They found his vessel anchored off Beifang’ao port with his fishing gear left on a reef.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) launched a search operation, mobilizing a patrol vessel, officers on land, beach buggies, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, a fishing trawler reported a body floating in the ocean near the port of Chaoyang in Su’ao.
The CGA took the body ashore and alerted Chang’s relatives as the dead man found at sea was wearing clothes fitting the description given by the family. They later confirmed his identity, while prosecutors will try to determine the cause of death.