Taipei: Two Taiwanese fishing vessels capsized in waters northwest of Taiwan between late Wednesday and Thursday, resulting in nine people being saved, four missing, and ongoing rescue efforts for two other crew members from one of the boats, as of Thursday night.

According to Focus Taiwan, Vice Captain Su Chen-yi of the northern mobile unit of the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Fleet Branch reported that his unit first received a notification Thursday morning about a fishing boat, identified as Yu Shan No.36, which had capsized in waters northwest of Taiwan’s Cape Fugui on Wednesday night.

Of the nine crew members from Yu Shan No. 36, six were rescued by nearby fishing boats and transported to Fuji Fishing Harbor, as confirmed by the CGA’s Northern Branch. Earlier on Thursday, rescuers from Taiwan’s National Airborne Service Corps located one of the three missing individuals entangled in fishing nets near the stern of the boat, another clinging to the overturned cabin, while a third individual remains unaccounted for, the office told CNA Thursday night.

The adverse weather conditions hindered helicopters from airlifting the two stranded individuals, yet CGA rescuers on a boat at the scene are continuing their rescue attempts, the office added. The office also noted that the capsized ship, located 14 nautical miles off the coast of Tamsui, had foreign crew members on board, though their nationalities are still unknown.

In addition to the incident involving Yu Shan No. 36, another Taiwanese fishing boat, designated Lih Fa No.168, capsized 35 nautical miles northwest of Keelung Harbor, according to the CGA. Three of the six crew members on board Lih Fa No.168 have been rescued by nearby fishing boats, while three crew members – Taiwanese, Chinese, and Indonesian – remain missing. Joint sea and air search and rescue operations are currently underway, the CGA stated.