At least 6 killed, 2 missing in Taiwan ship accident

At least 6 killed, 2 missing in Taiwan ship accident

2012-03-20 11:39:15 GMT+7 (ICT)

TAIPEI, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- At least six people were killed when a cargo ship sunk off the northern coast of Taiwan on Monday, local media reported.

The Hai Hsiang No. 8 gravel ship, which was registered in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, departed Keelung Harbor for Hualien on Taiwan's eastern coast at around 2:40 a.m. local time, but it began experiencing mechanical failure around two hours later.

Coast Guard Administration officials told Focus Taiwan that the ship's crew informed the control center at Keelung Harbor at around 4:26 a.m. local time that the ship was listing, that is, was leaning onto one side. Emergency teams were dispatched immediately, but the ship sank quickly.

Officials said six of the thirteen crew members that were rescued at the site of the accident later died at nearby hospitals. Two of them were Taiwanese and four others were Indonesian. In addition, two more Taiwanese, the ship's captain and engineer remain missing.

According to one of the survivors, the captain of the 2,990-ton vessel, which was also carrying 4,000 tons of gravel, informed crew members to put their life vests on. However, the ship sank so quickly that there was no time to drop a life boat. The crew member sank with the ship, but was able to swim upwards before being rescued by coast guard officers.

Investigations are ongoing, but initial reports show that the ship was only carrying 15 crew members, one short of those required by harbor regulations. The ship was not carrying its first engineer, and the ship owner could be fined between NT 60,000 ($2,033) to NT 300,000 ($10,165).

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