One dead and six missing after Taiwanese fishing boat overturns off disputed Japan islands

One person died and six went missing after a Taiwanese fishing boat capsized near Senkaku Islands that are disputed to be part of Japan. According to The Independent, the overturned boat was found by local authorities on Sunday. The group of islands are located in the East China Sea, in the Okinawa fracture. 

The spokesperson of the Japanese coast guard, Keisuke Nakao, told the local reporters that the boat was found in the aforementioned group of Islands. There were seven people aboard which included one Taiwanese national and six Indonesians. “At around 9.15 am (Monday), a body was found inside the cabin by divers, and an ID on the body suggests it was an Indonesian man,” said coastguard spokesman Masaya Tokita. The search and rescue operation for the missing crew is currently underway. 

Patrol ships and helicopters dispatched for rescue ops

According to Independent UK, Patrol ships and helicopters were sent out by Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force for rescue operations. The Taiwanese foreign ministry said in a statement that the vessel was a Taiwan-registered fishing boat. “The National Rescue Command Center has contacted Taiwanese fishing boats near the site of the accident to assist in the search. Taiwan and Japan’s coastguards have also dispatched ships for search and rescue,” the statement reads. It added that the boat left Northern Taiwan’s Keelung port on 27 February and attempted to contact a nearby Taiwanese fishing boat for help on Sunday.

The group of islands near which the boat capsized have been a major matter of dispute between Japan, China and Taiwan. While the Japanese referred to the islands as the Senkaku Islands, China called them “Diaoyu Islands”. Taiwan, on the other hand, calls it Tiaoyutai Islands. Overall, the cause behind the tragic incident on Sunday remains unclear and the matter is still under investigation.